Near Infrared Light-Driven Mesoporous SiO 2 /Au Nanomotors for Eradication of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm.

Bacterial biofilms are linked to several diseases and cause resistant and chronic infections in immune-compromised patients. Due to their ability to overcome, adapt and survive antibacterial treatment, biofilms pose enormous economic consequences. Nanomotors are a new field of research showing a great promise within biomedicine but pose challenges in terms of biocompatibility. Nanomotors propelled by thermophoresis could overcome this challenge, as they leave no waste product during propulsion. In this study, mesoporous-silica nanoparticles were coated with a thin layer of gold to make nanomotors, which could be driven by NIR light irradiation. The prepared mesoporous SiO 2 -Au nanomotors exhibit efficient self-propulsion when exposed to NIR irradiation, they penetrate deep through a biofilm matrix and disperse the biofilm in situ due to the photothermal effect on the Au part of the nanomotors. The velocities of such nanomotors are investigated at different wavelengths and laser powers. Furthermore, the study examine the ability of these nanomotors to eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm under NIR light irradiation. The conducted study shows that the nanomotors velocity depends on the intensity of the light and that it increases with increasing laser power. The mesoporous SiO 2 /Au nanomotors show excellent capabilities to eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms even under short (30 seconds - 3 minutes) irradiation time. This study shows great promise for overcoming the challenges related to bacterial biofilm eradication. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.