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Pathogenic fungal infection is a major clinical threat because pathogenic fungi have developed resistant mechanisms to evade the innate immune response, especially interactions with macrophages. Herein, a strategy to activate immune responses of macrophages to fungi based on near-infrared (NIR) responsive conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs-M) is reported for antifungal immunotherapy. Under NIR light irradiation, CPNs-M exposes β-glucan on the surface of fungal conidia by photothermal damage and drug released from CPNs-M. The exposed β-glucan elicits macrophage recognition and subsequently activates calcium-calmodulin (Ca

A series of cationic conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) was designed to understand how variations in molecular dimensions impact the relative activity against bacteria and mammalian cells. These COEs kept a consistent distyrylbenzene framework but differed in the length of linker between the core and the cationic site and the length of substitute on the quaternary ammonium functioned group. Their antimicrobial efficacy, mammalian cell cytotoxicity, hemolytic activity, and cell association were determined. We find that hydrophobicity is a factor that controls the degree of COE association to cells, but in vitro efficacy and cytotoxicity depend on more subtle structural features. COE2-3C-C4butyl was found to be the optimal structure with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4 μg mL−1 against E. coli K12, low cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells and negligible hemolysis of red blood cells, even at 1024 μg mL−1. A time-kill kinetics study of COE2-3C-C4butyl against E. coli K12 demonstrates bactericidal activity. These findings provide the first systematic investigation of how COEs may be modulated to achieve low mammalian cell cytotoxicity with the long-range perspective of finding candidates suitable for developing a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent., A series of cationic conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) was designed to understand how variations in molecular dimensions impact the relative activity against bacteria and mammalian cells.

Optical imaging, as an important molecular imaging modality, has emerged many attractions in studying the biological or molecular events both in cell level and living subject because of its high resolution and sensitivity, noninvasive manner and low cost. Herein, we bring novel insights into a water-soluble conjugated polyelectlyte by deeply studying its properties in cells. Poly(9, 9-bis (6'- N,N,N -trimethylammonium hexyl)fluorene phenylene) (PFP), a good biosensing material, was studied in this paper. The biocompatibility of PFP was investigated in different cells, and cell cycle analysis was carried out to explore the reasons of different biocompatibility of PFP to cells. After irradiation, fluorescence enhancement of blue emission and turn-on of long-wavelength emission of PFP in HepG2 cells was observed, which was first reported as far as we know. The differentiated biocompatibility of PFP and its particular imaging properties in cancer cells can help to guide the application of conjugated polymers in cells and provide a new dimension in designing sensitive and responsive imaging materials.

An oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) derivative (OPV-pfp) functionalized with pentafluorophenol active ester is designed and synthesized. The high reactivity of OPV-pfp with biological small molecules or macromolecules containing amino groups under physiological conditions leads to spectral changes of OPV-pfp; thus, spatial reactivity discrimination for different subcellular structures inside cells is realized by triggering and imaging the fluorescence signal change of the OPV-pfp.

A new water-soluble conjugated poly(fluorene-co-phenylene) derivative (PFP-FB) modified with boronate-protected fluorescein (peroxyfluor-1) via PEG linker has been designed and synthesized. In the presence of H2O2, the peroxyfluor-1 group can transform into green fluorescent fluorescein by deprotecting the boronate protecting groups. In this case, upon selective excitation of PFP-FB backbone at 380 nm, efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from PFP-FB backbone to fluorescein occurs, and accordingly, the fluorescence color of PFP-FB changes from blue to green. Furthermore, the emission color of PFP-FB and the FRET ratio change in a concentration-dependent manner. By taking advantage of PFP-FB, ratiometric detection of choline and acetylcholine (ACh) through cascade enzymatic reactions and further dynamic monitoring of the choline consumption process of cancer cells have been successfully realized. Thus, this new polymer probe promotes the development of enzymatic biosensors and provides a simpler and more effective way for detecting the chemical transmitter of living cells.

A conjugated polymer (PTDHP) was synthesized by modifying the side chain of cationic polythiophene (PT) with a dihydropyridine (DHP) group via a click reaction. PTDHP has a unique ROS self-scavenging ability through the oxidation of the DHP into a pyridine structure upon light irradiation. Thus, PTDHP achieves cell imaging with good photo-stability and low photo-cytotoxicity.

A new method was developed through an efficient Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from guanidinium-pendant oligofluorene to green fluorescent protein (GFP) for specifically screening membrane-disrupting antibiotics to which bacteria have difficulty developing resistance.

A supramolecular antibiotic switch is described that can reversibly "turn-on" and "turn-off" its antibacterial activity on demand, providing a proof-of-concept for a way to regulate antibacterial activity of biotics. The switch relies on supramolecular assembly and disassembly of cationic poly(phenylene vinylene) derivative (PPV) with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) to regulate their different interactions with bacteria. This simple but efficient strategy does not require any chemical modification on the active sites of the antibacterial agent, and could also regulate the antibacterial activity of classical antibiotics or photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy. This supramolecular antibiotic switch may be a successful strategy to fight bacterial infections and decrease the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics from a long-term point of view.

Compared to the extensively studied nanometer-sized colloids, less attention has been paid to the assembly of micrometer-sized colloids with multifunctional characteristics. To address this need, a bottom-up approach is developed for constructing self-assemblies of micrometer-sized magnetic colloids possessing multifunctionality, including magnetic, optical, and biological activities. Biotinylated oligo (p-phenylene vinylene) (OPV) derivatives are designed to mediate the self-assembly of streptavidin-modified magnetic beads. The optical element OPV derivatives provide a fluorescence imaging ability for tracing the assembly process. Target cells can be recognized and assembled by the colloidal assembly with bioactive element antibodies. The colloidal assembly reveals better cell isolation performance by its amplified magnetic response in comparison to monodisperse colloids. The self-assembly of micrometer-sized magnetic colloids through a combination of different functional ingredients to realize multifunction is conceptually simple and easy to achieve.