Synergistic Nanomaterial Applications in Antibacterial Therapy

Antibacterial therapy is challenged by drug-resistant pathogens and biofilm-associated infections. Recent advances in nanomaterials have yielded multifunctional platforms that harness synergistic mechanisms—combining photothermal, catalytic, immunomodulatory and chemical modalities—to enhance bacterial eradication while minimising toxicity. Strategies include integration of photothermal heating to amplify chemodynamic production of hydroxyl radicals, engineering of surface vacancies to boost electron transfer for biofilm disruption, and the design of responsive nanosystems capable of on-demand nitric oxide release. Emerging single-atom catalysts and nanozymes further exploit enzyme-like activity and glutathione depletion to potentiate reactive oxygen species generation. These synergistic architectures target both planktonic bacteria and structured biofilms, reprogram innate and adaptive immune responses, and support wound healing in diverse in vivo models. Collectively, such approaches promise a new generation of antibiotic-independent treatments with broad-spectrum efficacy, adaptability to heterogeneous microenvironments and potential for clinical translation.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Innovative work has introduced nanohole-enabled platforms that exploit vacancy-driven electron transport to dismantle biofilm matrices without reliance on conventional antibiotics. These materials achieve targeted destruction of extracellular polymeric substances and downregulate genes essential for biofilm formation, demonstrating in vivo efficacy and biocompatibility. In parallel, two-dimensional manganese chalcogenophosphate nanosheets, coated to modulate antigen presentation, have been shown to remodel infectious microenvironments and elicit robust humoral immunity against implant-associated biofilm infections. More recently, biofilm-adaptive photoredox catalysts have been developed to release nitric oxide in response to pH and oxygen gradients, overcoming heterogeneity-linked resistance and achieving potent antibiofilm activity in animal infection models. Together, these findings highlight multifunctional nanomaterials that combine physical disruption, catalytic chemistry and immune activation to tackle recalcitrant bacterial communities.

Synergistic Nanomaterial Applications in Antibacterial Therapy publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in synergistic nanomaterial applications in antibacterial therapy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Photothermal therapy (PTT): Use of near-infrared light to generate heat at the nanoscale, enhancing antimicrobial reactions.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT): Catalytic conversion of endogenous substrates (e.g. H2O2) into reactive radicals for bacterial killing.

Nanozyme: Nanostructured material with enzyme-like catalytic activity for reactive oxygen species generation.

Biofilm: Structured microbial community encased in an extracellular matrix, often resistant to antibiotics.

Single-atom catalyst (SAC): Nanoarchitecture featuring isolated metal atoms that serve as highly active catalytic sites.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Highly reactive molecules (e.g. hydroxyl radicals) that induce oxidative damage to pathogens.

References

1. Progress in nanomaterial-based synergistic photothermal-enhanced chemodynamic therapy in combating bacterial infections. Progress in Materials Science (2024).
2. Biodegradable Nickel Disulfide Nanozymes with GSH-Depleting Function for High-Efficiency Photothermal-Catalytic Antibacterial Therapy. iScience (2020).
3. Nanohole-boosted electron transport between nanomaterials and bacteria as a concept for nano–bio interactions. Nature Communications (2021).
4. Inorganic nanosheets facilitate humoral immunity against medical implant infections by modulating immune co-stimulatory pathways. Nature Communications (2022).
5. Designing Single‐Atom Active Sites on sp2‐Carbon Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks to Induce Bacterial Ferroptosis‐Like for Robust Anti‐Infection Therapy. Advanced Science (2023).
6. A Photomodulable Bacteriophage‐Spike Nanozyme Enables Dually Enhanced Biofilm Penetration and Bacterial Capture for Photothermal‐Boosted Catalytic Therapy of MRSA Infections. Advanced Science (2023).
7. Biofilm heterogeneity-adaptive photoredox catalysis enables red light-triggered nitric oxide release for combating drug-resistant infections. Nature Communications (2023).