Phage-guided rapid enrichment of copper-protocatechuic acid nanoparticles for targeted antibacterial therapy
摘要
The effective treatment of bacterial infections requires rapid and selective enrichment of antibacterial agents on bacterial surfaces within infectious microenvironments. Transition metal ion-based antibacterial agents show broad-spectrum bactericidal activity, but they usually rely on passive diffusion and stochastic bacterial contact, limiting their ability to establish sufficient local doses within short treatment windows. Herein, an M13 phage-mediated targeting strategy was developed for the rapid enrichment and delivery of copper ion–protocatechuic acid nanoparticles (CP NPs). Through phage display, an M13 phage targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA-targeting phage, MTP) and an M13 phage targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa-targeting phage, PTP) were identified. MTP and PTP retained the typical filamentous morphology of M13 phage and selectively adhered to corresponding bacteria within 1 min. Protocatechuic acid (PCA) was then used as a polyphenolic bridge for phage-surface adhesion and Cu2+ coordination, yielding CP@MTP and CP@PTP, which integrate bacterial recognition, metal–polyphenol assembly, and copper-based antibacterial activity into filamentous delivery scaffolds. After only 10 min of bacterial exposure, CP@MTP selectively reduced MRSA by 3 log, while CP@PTP reduced P. aeruginosa by 1.7 log, likely owing to rapid phage-mediated CP NP enrichment on bacterial surfaces. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed bacterial stress responses induced by targeted copper delivery. In zebrafish larval tail-fin infection models, CP@MTP and CP@PTP effectively eradicated corresponding bacteria and reduced neutrophil recruitment. In a murine P. aeruginosa pneumonia model, CP@PTP prolonged lung retention, reduced pulmonary bacterial burden, and alleviated inflammatory lung injury. This study establishes targeted M13 phages as spatial regulators for rapid and precision antibacterial therapy.
Graphical abstract