Self-fluorescent antibiotic MoO x –hydroxyapatite: a nano-theranostic platform for bone infection therapies

PLACENTE, DAMIÁN; RUSO, JUAN. M.; BALDINI, MÓNICA; LAIUPPA, JUAN A.; SIEBEN, JUAN M.; SANTILLÁN, GRACIELA E.; MESSINA, PAULA V.

Nanoscale

The Royal Society of Chemistry

Año: 2019 vol. 11 p. 17277 - 17292

2040-3364

Nowadays, the repair of large-size bone defects represents a huge medical challenge. A line of attack isthe construction of advanced biomaterials having multifunctional properties. In this work, we show thecreation of biocompatible MoOx?hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nano-HA/MoOx) that simultaneouslyexhibit self-activated fluorescence and antibiotic skills. Along this text, we demonstrate that the insertionof molybdenum, an essential trace element, into the non-stoichiometric calcium deficient hydroxyapatitelattice generates intrinsic electronic point defects that exacerbate its epifluorescence blue emission andprovokes new red emissions, preserving, always, its bioactivity. Furthermore, these point defects, acting aselectron acceptors, stimulate the materials? biological redox status and promote the death of pathogenmicroorganisms after their direct contact. A putative mechanism, by which bacteria lose electrons fromtheir metabolic circuit that alter the function of their cytoplasmic membrane and potentially die, agreeswith our results. Our findings highlight the importance of tuning the electronic communications betweenbiomaterial interfaces and biological units, and support the use of self-fluorescent MoOx?hydroxyapatitenanoparticles as fundamental building blocks for new real-time imaging platforms against bone infection.