Penicillamine-based chiral ZnO nanoparticles: A dual mechanism for infected wound healing via antibacterial activity and immune regulation

Bacterial infections and inflammation caused by persistent infections are the primary reasons for delayed healing of infected wounds. Chirality, a prevalent characteristic in nature, plays a crucial role in chemical recognition and interactions between materials and biosystems. Herein, chiral ZnO NPs was prepared and the effects of charity on antibacterial and immune regulation were investigated. D-ZnO NPs showed better antibacterial performance against both S.aureus and E.coli compared with L-ZnO NPs, and the D-ZnO NPs (250 μg/mL) antibacterial rates against of S.aureus and E.coli were 72.2 ± 6.3 % and 98.7 ± 0.22 %, respectively. D-ZnO NPs demonstrated better interaction with bacteria and destroyed bacterial cell walls, leading to the protein leakage and more reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Furthermore, D-ZnO NPs could suppress over-reacted inflammation and promote the polarization of macrophages towards M2 phenotype. In vivo results showed that D-ZnO NPs effectively promoted the healing of infected wounds, achieving a wound healing rate of 100 % on day 10. This work provides novel insights into the development of chiral and enantioselective nanomaterials, as well as promotes the application of chiral nanomaterials in the biomedical fields.