Ultrasound-active ReCORM-AIEgen for gas and sonodynamic therapy of mycobacterium biofilms

Bacterial infection is the leading cause of many severe inflammation diseases. The development of novel and effective therapeutic approaches to counter bacterial infections, especially for drug-resistant bacteria, is essential. Herein, we have successfully developed an ultrasound-active tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complex with tetraphenylethylene (TPE) modification (RePy-TPE) for CO gas therapy and sonodynamic therapy of bacterial infections. RePy-TPE produced reactive oxygen species and released CO under ultrasound irradiation. In addition, RePy-TPE showed aggregation-induced emission in water due to the introduction of TPE, which enhanced the yield of 1 O 2 generation in a biological aqueous solution. The produced 1 O 2 and released CO killed mycobacterium smegmatis ( M. smegmatis ) and Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), as shown by bacterial membrane damage and biofilm elimination. Furthermore, ultrasound-active RePy-TPE perturbed the purine metabolism of the bacteria, which disturbed the biosynthesis of DNA and energy metabolism, eventually reducing the vitality of bacteria. This article provides a novel strategy for the development of ultrasound-active metal-based antibiotics.