Facile Fabrication of Multifunctional Metal-Phenolic Network Nanoparticles for Bacterial Keratitis Treatment

keratitis model, EGCG-Zn-VAN NPs combined potent bactericidal efficacy with effective modulation of the oxidative and inflammatory milieu. Notably, despite delivering a substantially lower antibiotic dose (∼14.9 μg/mL), the nanoparticle formulation significantly outperformed a clinical standard-of-care comparator (5% free vancomycin), achieving >95% reduction of MRSA burden and suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) toward near-baseline levels. Quantitative histomorphometry confirmed that treatment led to the preservation of corneal transparency, epithelial integrity, and physiological stromal thickness. These outcomes arise from the cooperative interplay between vancomycin and the ROS-scavenging EGCG-Zn network, establishing EGCG-Zn-VAN NPs as a versatile, stimuli-responsive nanotherapeutic platform capable of addressing both microbial burden and host pathology. This platform provides a promising dose-sparing strategy for the clinical management of drug-resistant bacterial keratitis and other inflammation-associated ocular infections.