Aggregation-induced emission-active amino acid/berberine hydrogels with enhanced photodynamic antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity

Bacterial infections are a great threat to public health. The development of materials which prevent biofilm formation, and exhibit antibacterial properties, but are otherwise biocompatible, is a major research goal. In this study, a novel hybrid hydrogel with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior was prepared through the self-assembly of commercial N -(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)- L -phenylalanine (Fmoc-F) and berberine chloride (BBR). BBR self-assembled into nanoparticles which dispersed throughout the gel network, and endowed the hydrogel with AIE functionality. Fmoc-F/BBR hydrogel displayed enhanced antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity against both Gram-negative ( Escherichia coli ) and Gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus ) bacteria when used as the active agent in the photodynamic therapy (PDT) process. Additionally, negligible cytotoxicity and low hemolytic activity were displayed. In vivo infection studies showed that Fmoc-F/BBR hydrogel facilitated the repair of wounds in rats infected with S. aureus . Therefore, Fmoc-F/BBR hydrogel provides potential applications in biomedicines, and especially in wound healing.