Glyco-Cloaking Unlocks Cationic Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for Myogenesis Support and On-Demand Photodynamic Antibacterial Action

Antimicrobial resistance threatens both human health and economic stability, urgently demanding antibiotic-free infection strategies. This global crisis brings to the fore a central challenge in antimicrobial material design lying in reconciling potency with biocompatibility, a dilemma acutely epitomized by cationic amphiphilic materials, despite their longstanding therapeutic significance. To address this, we present a glyco-cloaked charge-masking strategy that converts an intrinsically toxic cationic scaffold into a biocompatible and multifunctional platform. By employing a deep-red aggregation-induced emission-active pyridinium scaffold, systematic glycosylation affords eight derivatives in acetyl-protected and deprotected forms. Glycosylation attenuates cationic charge exposure on nanoaggregates, dramatically reducing mammalian cell internalization, cytotoxicity, and hemolysis, while fully preserving robust photodynamic activity with efficient dual-type reactive oxygen species generation, alongside bacterial-targeting capability. Strikingly, the lead compound Man-PEBT enables precise intracellular bacterial imaging and on-demand photodynamic bacterial elimination in vitro and in vivo, concurrently demonstrating negligible myoblast toxicity and exceptional myogenesis compatibility, which redefines the functional scope of cationic materials. This work unites infection control with tissue support in a single platform and establishes glyco-cloaking as a transformative design strategy to bridge the critical efficacy–biocompatibility divide, offering a step toward a more sustainable bioeconomy and safer biomedicine.