A Supramolecular Antibiotic Switch for Plug-and-Play Antibacterial Regulation

Authors：Xu, Shi-Yuan; Peng, Zi-Ze; Wang, Zi-Xin; Li, Wen-Zhen; Ye, Yu-Yuan; Lin, Xiao-Wei; Ruan, Yi-Ru; Xiao, Ju; Li, Lingling; Wang, Wenjing^*; Wang, Xiao-Qiang^*

Source：ChemNanoMat, 2022, 8(5): e202200060.

DOI：10.1002/cnma.202200060

• supramolecular self-assembly
• antibacterial regulation
• berberine
• alkaloid
• cucurbit[7]uril

Constructing novel antibiotic switches is of great importance to fighting bacterial infections and reducing the public health threat caused by antibiotic abuse. In this work, a plug-and-play antibiotic switch based on the host-guest interaction between berberine hydrochloride (BBR) and cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) is reported. BBR can be encapsulated in the cavity of CB[7] to form BBR@CB[7] with enhanced fluorescent emission and reduced antibacterial activity. And BBR can be released from BBR@CB[7] in the presence of other competitors, such as amantadine hydrochloride (ADA). The self-assemble and disassemble ability of the supramolecular complex can be applied as facile plug-and-play antibiotic switch to "turn-on" and "turn-off" its antibacterial activity on demand. This work provides a simple, rapid, and efficient strategy for antibacterial regulation through supramolecular chemistry.