A Multimodal Antibacterial Platform for Visualizing Reactive Oxygen Species Generation and Promoting Wound Healing

Abstract Photo‐activated therapeutic strategies have great potential for preventing bacterial infections, especially infections associated with drug‐resistant bacteria, owing to their minimal tendency to induce drug resistance. A single course of light‐based therapeutics may lack the desired efficacy. The use of a high‐power excitation source or high doses of photo‐activated agents may cause excessive damage to normal tissues. Herein, a multimodal antibacterial platform that combines photodynamic and photothermal therapies has been developed. The fluoro‐substituted coumarin compound (TCF) and Prussian blue nanocubes (PB NCs) are integrated into the bacterial cellulose (BC) to form a versatile wound dressing (BC‐TCF‐PB). Fluoro‐substitution in TCF is found to enhance its production of ¹O₂ by boosting the intersystem crossing. Furthermore, the generated ¹O₂ can react with the thiocarbonyl group in TCF to form a highly emissive product. In situ self‐reporting fluorescence of TCF allows for the visualization of ¹O₂ generation, and assessment of the bacterial eradication. In addition, the BC‐TCF‐PB platform exhibits synergistic antibacterial effects on the methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and provides an effective solution for infection control and wound healing. Thus, the BC‐TCF‐PB dressing, with self‐reporting of the reactive biocide generation in situ, has offered valuable insights into effective wound management.