Porphyrin-based porous organic polymer for the NIR-enhanced delivery of bupivacaine towards pain management in bacterial infection therapy

Abstract

Antibiotic-free strategies have gained widespread attention in combating bacterial infection-related wound therapy. Phototherapy is a precise treatment method that stands out from other therapeutic strategies. However, under the stimulus of local heat, patients might unconsciously touch the dressing at the infection sites, causing the dressing to fall off, thereby greatly diminishing the treatment effect. Therefore, pain management is quite essential in phototherapy. Herein, a porphyrin-based porous organic polymer (POP) with excellent photothermal capacities, denoted as P-POP, was developed as a carrier for the seamless integration of bupivacaine hydrochloride (BU), with both antibacterial and analgesic effects, to obtain a novel composite (P-POP-BU). The repetitive porphyrin units endowed excellent thermo-responsive properties to P-POP-BU, realizing the accelerated drug release following the local temperature increase triggered by laser illumination. P-POP-BU could realize the photo-enhanced BU release, enabling pain management during PTT. The antibacterial experiment demonstrated that the composite presented a synergistic and high-efficiency capacity to eradicate bacteria at the infection sites and significantly accelerate the repairing of wounds under laser irradiation. Notably, this special composite exhibited excellent biocompatibility with minimal side effects, making it a promising therapeutic platform for the light-triggered treatment of bacterial infections.