NIR-Triggered H ₂ O ₂ Release from LA-CP@Fe ₃ O ₄ Nanoparticles for Precise Antimicrobial Therapy and Wound Healing

Bacterial infections pose a severe global health threat with rising mortality, driving the need for alternative therapies. Chemodynamic therapy (CDT), which converts endogenous H 2 O 2 into lethal hydroxyl radicals ( • OH) via Fenton reactions, offers a promising solution. Copper peroxide (CuO 2 ) nanodots have recently attracted considerable research interest because of their capacity to generate H 2 O 2 . Despite this advantage, their practical use in antibacterial applications is severely limited by their poor stability. In this study, we developed a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered nanoplatform, LA-CP@Fe 3 O 4, by encapsulating CuO 2 -loaded iron tetraoxide nanoparticles with the phase-change material lauric acid (LA). This system synergistically combines a Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ -Cu + /Cu 2+ dual-metal catalytic network for enhanced • OH generation with NIR-triggered photothermal activation (a photothermal conversion efficiency of 39.21%), allowing spatiotemporally controlled therapeutic release while stabilizing CuO 2 nanodots. In vitro, the platform achieved 99.9% bactericidal efficiency via self-supplied H 2 O 2 and targeted ROS generation. In vivo, it exhibited excellent biocompatibility, accelerated wound healing with an 88.0% reduction in wound area by day 7, and effective NIR-triggered antibacterial activity. These results collectively establish a groundbreaking approach for precision antibacterial therapy with strong clinical translation potential.