Smart Nanosilver Strikes Twice: Precision Bacteria Killing Meets Autophagy-Boosted Healing for Infected Wounds

    June 2025 in “ Advanced Functional Materials ”
    Jiaojiao Zhu, Qingya Zeng, Yutian Liu, Yih‐Hwang Lin, Ding Ma, Tiao Wen, Pei Li, Wenhu Zhou
    TLDR The new nanosilver treatment effectively kills bacteria and speeds up wound healing with less toxicity.
    The study introduces a pH-responsive core-shell nanosilver platform (PST/Ag) designed for treating infected chronic wounds by combining precise antibacterial action with microenvironment reprogramming. PST/Ag targets bacterial membranes and releases silver ions (Ag+) in acidic infection sites, providing effective bactericidal effects while reducing resistance risks. It minimizes toxicity by limiting Ag+ release to lysosomal compartments in skin cells, where it activates protective autophagy and enhances wound healing processes like fibroblast migration and angiogenesis. In animal models, PST/Ag outperforms traditional silver nanoparticles by effectively eradicating bacteria, speeding up re-epithelialization, and preventing scar formation, offering a promising approach for complex tissue repair.
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