In situ oxygen-generating bio-heterojunctions for enhanced anti-bacterial treatment of anaerobe-induced periodontitis

Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory condition associated with bacterial infection, is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Pathogenic bacteria that persist in deep periodontal pockets with hyperglycemic levels following traditional manual debridement can contribute to a persistent local inflammatory microenvironment, posing a significant challenge and highlighting the critical need for improved therapeutic approaches. In addition, the anaerobic environment during these treatments is beneficial to the colonization of anaerobes and may amplify inflammatory responses. Herein, we designed a glucose oxidase (GOx)-coating MXene-SnS2 bio-heterojunctions (MS@G bio-HJs) for multi-modal and effective treatment of anti-bacteria and anti-inflammatory. Upon the hyperglycemic nidus in periodontal pockets, GOx catalyzes the conversion of glucose into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Subsequently, the breakdown of H2O2 into hydroxyl radicals through Sn2+/Sn4+-involved Fenton-like reactions enables in situ liberation of oxygen (O2), contributing to relieve local hypoxia. The proposed bio-HJs presents a satisfactory bactericidal capability with anti-bacterial rates of more than 99 % upon near-infrared irradiation, in virtue of multi-modal therapies including photodynamic, photothermal and chemodynamic treatments. Furthermore, in vivo assays utilizing infectious rat models demonstrated that the proposed bio-HJs exhibits high biocompatibility and capacity to alleviate hypoxia and reduce pathogenic virulence factors, potentially contributing to periodontal tissue regeneration. These findings suggest that the versatile bio-HJs could be a promising therapeutic candidate for treating infectious periodontal diseases.