Bacterial infections are a great threat to public health. The development of materials which prevent biofilm formation, and exhibit antibacterial properties, but are otherwise biocompatible, is a major research goal. In this study, a novel hybrid hydrogel with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior was prepared through the self-assembly of commercial N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-_L-phenylalanine (Fmoc-F) and berberine chloride (BBR). BBR self-assembled into nanoparticles which dispersed throughout the gel network, and endowed the hydrogel with AIE functionality. Fmoc-F/BBR hydrogel displayed enhanced antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria when used as the active agent in the photodynamic therapy (PDT) process. Additionally, negligible cytotoxicity and low hemolytic activity were displayed. In vivo infection studies showed that Fmoc-F/BBR hydrogel facilitated the repair of wounds in rats infected with S. aureus. Therefore, Fmoc-F/BBR hydrogel provides potential applications in biomedicines, and especially in wound healing.

细菌感染是对公共卫生的巨大威胁。防止生物膜形成并显示抗菌特性但具有生物相容性的材料的开发是主要的研究目标。在这项研究中，通过商业化N-（9-芴基甲氧基羰基）_-L-苯丙氨酸（Fmoc-F）和小碱氯化物（BBR）的自组装制备了一种具有聚集诱导发射（AIE）行为的新型杂化水凝胶。BBR自组装成分散在整个凝胶网络中的纳米颗粒，并赋予水凝胶AIE功能。Fmoc-F / BBR水凝胶对革兰氏阴性菌（大肠杆菌）和革兰氏阳性菌（金黄色葡萄球菌）均显示出增强的抗菌和抗生物膜活性）细菌在光动力疗法（PDT）过程中用作活性剂时。另外，显示出可忽略的细胞毒性和低溶血活性。体内感染研究表明，Fmoc-F / BBR水凝胶可促进金黄色葡萄球菌感染大鼠的伤口修复。因此，Fmoc-F / BBR水凝胶在生物医学尤其是伤口愈合中提供了潜在的应用。