Light-Triggered Mechanotherapy of Membrane-Mimicking Conjugated Electrolytes Potentiates Antibacterial Efficacy.

Authors

Shuai Zhang, Peirong Zhou, Yuhui Chen, Yuhui Jiang, Yanting Chen, Xiaoran Huang, Jakkarin Limwongyut, Shaoyong Xu, Cheng Zhou

Published in

ACS applied bio materials. Volume 9. Issue 16. Pages 7710-7724. Aug 17, 2026.

Abstract

The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens has created an urgent need for antibacterial strategies that operate beyond conventional biochemical targets. Here, a light-triggered molecular mechanotherapeutic antibacterial platform based on membrane-mimicking conjugated electrolytes (MMCEs) is reported. Owing to their membrane-compatible architecture, MMCEs can spontaneously intercalate into lipid bilayers while remaining relatively non-disruptive in the dark. To enhance photoinduced mechanical activity, ZBT was developed from the classical BT scaffold by replacing the stilbene-like wing with a biphenyl unit, thereby increasing steric hindrance and molecular torsion. Computational analysis indicated that this structural modification markedly amplified conformational twisting. As a result, ZBT exhibited substantially improved antibacterial performance. Notably, although ZBT generates slightly fewer light-induced reactive oxygen species than BT, its antibacterial activity against MRSA is approximately twice as high, indicating that enhanced light-triggered physical membrane disruption significantly boosts ZBT's antimicrobial performance. In vitro, ZBT effectively suppressed MRSA biofilm formation and displayed potent photoactivated antibacterial activity. In a murine skin wound infection model, ZBT combined with light achieved efficient bacterial clearance while maintaining excellent biocompatibility. These findings establish MMCE-based mechanotherapy as a promising strategy against drug-resistant bacteria and, more importantly, reveal a molecular design principle in which increasing backbone torsion enhances photoresponsive physical killing.

PMID:
42606051
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Aug 2026.

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