A Pd-labile fluoroquinolone prodrug efficiently prevents biofilm formation on coated surfaces

Surface-adhered bacteria on implants represent a major challenge for antibiotic treatment. We introduce hydrogel-coated surfaces loaded with tailored Pd-nanosheets which catalyze the release of antibiotics from inactive prodrugs. Masked and antibiotically inactive fluoroquinolone analogs were efficiently activated at the surface and prevented the formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.Doctoral fellowship of the Foundation of German BusinessMerck Future Insight Prize 2020EC (H2020-MSCA–IF–2018-841990)EPSRC (EP/S010289/1)EU H2020 (grant agreement no 823717 – ESTEEM3

In Cellulo Bioorthogonal Catalysis by Encapsulated AuPd Nanoalloys. Overcoming Intracellular Deactivation

Bioorthogonal metallocatalysis has opened up a xenobiotic route to perform nonenzymatic catalytic transformations in living settings. Despite their promising features, most metals are deactivated inside cells by a myriad of reactive biomolecules, including biogenic thiols, thereby limiting the catalytic functioning of these abiotic reagents. Here we report the development of cytocompatible alloyed AuPd nanoparticles with the capacity to elicit bioorthogonal depropargylations with high efficiency in biological media. We also show that the intracellular catalytic performance of these nanoalloys is significantly enhanced by protecting them following two different encapsulation methods. Encapsulation in mesoporous silica nanorods resulted in augmented catalyst reactivity, whereas the use of a biodegradable PLGA matrix increased nanoalloy delivery across the cell membrane. The functional potential of encapsulated AuPd was demonstrated by releasing the potent chemotherapy drug paclitaxel inside cancer cells. Nanoalloy encapsulation provides a novel methodology to develop nanoreactors capable of mediating new-to-life reactions in cell