NIR-Triggered H ₂ O ₂ Release from LA-CP@Fe ₃ O ₄ Nanoparticles for Precise Antimicrobial Therapy and Wound Healing

Bacterial infections pose a severe global health threat with rising mortality, driving the need for alternative therapies. Chemodynamic therapy (CDT), which converts endogenous H2O2 into lethal hydroxyl radicals (•OH) via Fenton reactions, offers a promising solution. Copper peroxide (CuO2) nanodots have recently attracted considerable research interest because of their capacity to generate H2O2. Despite this advantage, their practical use in antibacterial applications is severely limited by their poor stability. In this study, we developed a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered nanoplatform, LA-CP@Fe3O4, by encapsulating CuO2-loaded iron tetraoxide nanoparticles with the phase-change material lauric acid (LA). This system synergistically combines a Fe2+/Fe3+-Cu+/Cu2+ dual-metal catalytic network for enhanced •OH generation with NIR-triggered photothermal activation (a photothermal conversion efficiency of 39.21%), allowing spatiotemporally controlled therapeutic release while stabilizing CuO2 nanodots. In vitro, the platform achieved 99.9% bactericidal efficiency via self-supplied H2O2 and targeted ROS generation. In vivo, it exhibited excellent biocompatibility, accelerated wound healing with an 88.0% reduction in wound area by day 7, and effective NIR-triggered antibacterial activity. These results collectively establish a groundbreaking approach for precision antibacterial therapy with strong clinical translation potential.