Abstract

Wound infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are hard to treat because of tolerance to existing antibiotics, repeated infection, and concomitant inflammation. Herein, zinc atom–doped g-C 3 N 4 and Bi 2 S 3 nanorod heterojunctions (CN–Zn/BiS) are investigated for disinfection under near-infrared light (NIR). The photocatalysis of CN–Zn/BiS is enhanced because of efficient charge separation during the interface electron field and increased oxygen adsorption capacity. Then, 99.2% antibacterial efficiency is shown toward methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 99.6% toward Escherichia coli under 10 min NIR irradiation. Meanwhile, a strategy for the combination of lapsed β-lactam antibiotics with the photosensitizer CN–Zn/BiS is provided to kill MRSA by NIR without observable resistance, suggesting an approach to solve the problem of bacterial infection with NIR light penetrability and for exploiting new anti-infection methods. The CN–Zn/BiS nanocomposite can also regulate genes and the inflammatory response through inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and iNOS) in vivo to accelerate tissue regeneration and thereby promote wound healing.