Ovotransferrin Antibacterial Peptide Coupling Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle as an Effective Antibiotic Delivery System for Treating Bacterial Infection In Vivo

Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are a serious threat to global public health. The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens is due to the improper use of antibiotics, making the treatment of bacterial infections very challenging. Here, we reported an efficient antibiotic delivery nanoparticle to minimize antibiotic resistance. The nanoparticle was designed to target the bacterial membrane using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) modified with an ovotransferrin-derived antimicrobial peptide (OVTp12), enabling the antibiotic to be delivered to the vicinity of the pathogenic bacteria. Moreover, we observed that OVTp12-modified nanoparticles effectively inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli in vitro and in vivo. The nanoparticle with high biosafety could significantly downregulate the expression of inflammation-related cytokines in infected tissues. Thus, this novel bacterial targeted nanoparticle provides advantages in minimizing bacterial drug resistance and treating bacterial infection.