Eradication of Pathogenic Bacteria by Remote Delivery of Nitric Oxide via Light-Triggering of Nitrosyl-Containing Materials.

Although nitric oxide (NO) delivery systems have been fabricated with sol-gel-based materials, remote control of such systems with light has not been achieved. In this work, a fiber optic-based NO delivery system is described in which the photoactive metal-nitrosyl, [Mn(PaPy(3))(NO)]ClO(4) (1), has been employed in a sol-gel material. The material (1*FO) contains the manganese-nitrosyl which releases NO upon illumination with visible light. The NO-releasing capacity of 1*FO has been measured with an NO-sensitive electrode and the spatial diffusion of NO in solution has been visualized using the Griess reaction. The utility of 1*FO has been demonstrated in effective reduction of bacterial loads of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The results suggest that a device that releases NO via illumination by optical fiber may have clinical applications in combating infections with both Gram-positive, Gram-negative and to some degree antibiotic resistant bacteria.