Galactose Unit-Based Liposomal Nanoprobes for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Targeting Imaging and In Situ Antibacterial Therapy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa-associated infections represent a persistent threat to public health. Exploring effective approaches to improve therapeutic efficacy is of great significance. Herein, we developed a bacterial-targeting liposome (Lip-Gal), where galactose was innovatively introduced as a targeting group for the lectin LecA of P. aeruginosa, enabling the fluorescent probes and antibiotic to be selectively accumulated at bacteria-infected regions. Cooperated with the relevant characterizations, the formation mechanism of Lip-Gal was investigated through molecular dynamics simulation. Notably, Cy5-Lip-Gal exhibited satisfactory targeting ability, as demonstrated by in situ/ex situ colocalization, thereby accurately imaging the infection site in vivo. Furthermore, with the loading of ciprofloxacin (CIP), CIP@Lip-Gal showed superior therapeutic efficacy both in vitro and in vivo over the coadministration of free CIP and empty liposomes, effectively reducing the levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in P. aeruginosa-infected pneumonia models. In general, this study presents sugar molecule-targeting-driven high-performance antibacterial nanoliposomes, offering a promising strategy for early diagnosis and clinical therapy.