Rational design of Bacteria-Targeted and Photo-Responsive MOF gel with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory function for infected wound healing

Damaged skin is prone to recurrent bacterial infections, which hinder proper wound healing and exacerbate inflammation. Urgent attention is required to devise versatile dressings possessing antibacterial and anti-inflammatory attributes to facilitate wound recovery. In this study, we engineered a photo-responsive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) gel, targeting bacteria, and endowed it with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects to address infected wound healing. On the one hand, the anionic MOF was choose to support cationic natural drug Berberine (BBR) to achieve slow release of anti-inflammatory drugs. On the other hand, the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles onto MOFs not only facilitates the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via photocatalysis under visible light but also furnishes sites for boric acid group attachment to target bacteria and expedites ROS transfer. The resultant MOFs@Ag-B@BBR exhibited potent photodynamic antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA at a low concentration of 37.5 µg mL−1, surpassing the efficacy of most reported MOFs-based nano-antimicrobials. Upon application of the MOFs@Ag-B@BBR composite hydrogel to infected wounds, the released BBR, in conjunction with photodynamic antibacterial action, significantly mitigated inflammatory responses and fostered wound healing. This study provides a widely applicable approach for rational design of MOFs materials with enhance antibacterial and anti-inflammatory functions.