Elaborately engineered Au(I)-based AIEgens: Robust and broad-spectrum elimination abilities toward drug-resistant bacteria

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains an urgent and formidable challenge to global public health. Developing new medicines or alternative therapies to address AMR is imperative. Herein, we rationally designed and synthesized a series of Au(I)-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections. Through systematic screening, we identified an optimal AIEgen, called complex 5, which can rapidly discriminate between gram-positive (G⁺) and gram-negative bacteria (G⁻) bacteria, and exert robust and broad-spectrum antimicrobial potency against diverse drug-resistant bacterial strains, including those intractable to treat in clinic. Furthermore, extensive testing against a variety of clinical drug-resistant isolates, coupled with the successful treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-infected skin wounds unequivocally validates the high efficiency and broad-spectrum activity of complex 5. Therefore, complex 5 emerges as a promising candidate for combating drug-resistant bacterial infections in clinic, and this work provides inspiration for developing new solutions to address the escalating global challenge of AMR.