Metabolic Modulation-Mediated Antibiotic and Immune Activation for Treatment of Chronic Lung Infections.

Abstract

The <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> biofilm in recalcitrant chronic lung infections not only develops high antimicrobial tolerance but also induces an aberrant host inflammatory response. The metabolic condition plays a vital role in both the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria and the inflammatory response of immune cells, thereby offering a potential therapeutic target. Herein, we described a metabolic modulation strategy by using ultrasound-responsive liposomal nanoparticles containing a sonosensitizer and a hypoxia-activated prodrug against biofilm-associated chronic lung infections. Under ultrasound stimulation, the sonosensitizer generates antibacterial reactive oxygen species by oxygen consumption. Subsequently, the oxygen consumption-mediated hypoxia not only induces the anaerobic metabolism of bacteria for antibiotic activation but also triggers the glycolysis pathway of immune cells for inflammatory activation. Such metabolic modulation strategy demonstrated efficient therapeutic efficacy for <i>P. aeruginosa</i> biofilm-induced chronic lung infections in mice models and provides a promising way for combating biofilm-associated chronic infections.