Electron Aggregation and Oxygen Fixation Reinforced Microwave Dynamic and Thermal Therapy for Effective Treatment of MRSA-Induced Osteomyelitis.

Antibiotics are frequently used to clinically treat osteomyelitis caused by bacterial infections. However, extended antibiotic use may result in drug resistance, which can be life threatening. Here, a heterojunction comprising Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 S 4 magnetic composite is constructed to achieve short-term and efficient treat osteomyelitis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 S 4 composite exhibits powerful microwave (MW) absorption properties, thereby effectively converting incident electromagnetic energy into thermal energy. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 S 4 possesses significant charge accumulation and oxygen-fixing capacity at the heterogeneous interface, which provides more active sites and oxygen sources for trapping electromagnetic hotspots. The finite element analysis indicates that Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 S 4 displays a larger electromagnetism field enhancement parameter than Fe 2 O 3 owing to a significant increase in electromagnetic hotspots. These hotspots contribute to charge differential accumulation and depletion motions at the interface, thereby augmenting the release of free electrons that subsequently combine with the oxygen adsorbed by Fe 2 O 3 /Fe 3 S 4 to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and heat. This research, which achieves extraordinary bacterial eradication through the synergistic effect of microwave thermal therapy (MWTT) and microwave dynamic therapy (MDT), presents a novel strategy for treating deep-tissue bacterial infections.