Rhamnolipid-assisted black phosphorus nanosheets with efficient isolinderalactone loading against drug resistant Helicobacter pylori

Oral administration remains the main treatment for H. pylori infection, but the acidic environment of the stomach, the biofilm and drug resistance of H. pylori severely impair the antibacterial effect of orally clinical drugs. Here, a multifunctional nanodrug, composed of rhamnolipid-assisted black phosphorus nanocomposite (RHL@BP), is engineered for drug resistant H. pylori (H. pylori-R) treatment. The nanosystem is utilized to efficiently deliver isolinderalactone (ISL), a kind of sesquiterpenoids compound purified from traditional Chinese medicine, exhibiting significantly enhanced antibacterial ability against H. pylori-R under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. The acid sensitivity of BP and photothermal instability of RHL could trigger the controlled and efficient release of ISL, exhibiting significant synergistic antibacterial activity against H. pylori-R in combined with NIR irradiation. In an H. pylori-R infected mice model, the amount of remnant H. pylori-R in the combination of RHL@BP/ISL and NIR irradiation without antacid group was significantly lower than that of in the conventional triple therapy group (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the multifunctional RHL@BP/ISL demonstrated a comprehensive application of acid sensitivity, biofilm eradication, antibacterial agent and photothermal to treat H. pylori-R, providing a newly potential strategy for clinical treatment of H. pylori-R infections.CO 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study engineered a multifunctional nanodrug, RHL@BP, for the treatment of drug resistant H. pylori infection. The nanodrug efficiently delivered ISL, an active compound from traditional Chinese medicine, to enhance its antibacterial effect against drug resistant H. pylori under near-infrared irradiation. The controlled release of ISL triggered by the acid sensitivity of BP and photothermal instability of RHL exhibited significant synergistic antibacterial activity against drug resistant H. pylori. The study demonstrates a potential strategy for the clinical treatment of drug resistant H. pylori infections.