2. Academic Validation
  3. Zinc oxide nanoparticles with rich oxygen vacancies to treat fungal keratitis independent of photocatalysis

Zinc oxide nanoparticles with rich oxygen vacancies to treat fungal keratitis independent of photocatalysis

  • Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2026 Aug:264:115655. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2026.115655.
Ziyi Wang 1,  Lingwen Gu 2,  Jing Lin 1,  Qian Wang 1,  Lina Zhang 1,  Xueyun Fu 1,  Menghui Chi 1,  Daohao Li 3,  Cui Li 4,  Guiqiu Zhao 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
  • 2 Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 3 State Key Laboratory of Bio-fibers and Eco-textiles, Institute of Marine Biobased Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.
  • 4 Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41915965 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2026.115655
Abstract

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a serious infectious corneal disease, accounting for approximately 30%-50% of infectious corneal diseases globally, with a high blinding rate. Due to the lack of low-toxicity and effective ophthalmic Antifungal drugs, new Antifungal treatment strategies must be developed. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are widely utilized in anti-infective applications due to their low toxicity and potent photocatalytic Antibacterial properties. Here, we synthesized oxygen-vacancy-rich zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-OV) to enhance Antifungal activity independent of photocatalysis, and investigated their potential for treating FK. Oxygen vacancy structures were introduced into ZnO-NPs via the reducing action of NaBH4. Compared with traditional ZnO-NPs, ZnO-OV had more reactive sites on its surface, good dispersibility, and efficient production of ROS in the dark. In vitro Antifungal experiments showed that ZnO-OV increased the Antifungal rate (40.97% in light and 17.21% in dark), blocked biofilm formation, destroyed hyphal morphology and normal structure. Compared with traditional ZnO-NPs, the improvement in Antifungal activity of ZnO-OV was increased by 6 times under dark environment. Transcriptome analysis of Fungal hyphae indicated that ZnO-OV significantly damaged the cell wall and membrane of A.fumigatus, thereby enhancing its Antifungal activity. In mouse models of FK, ZnO-OV reduced tissue inflammatory damage, neutrophil accumulation, and the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β), and showed a stronger curative effect than NATA treatment. These findings highlight ZnO-OV as a novel, photocatalysis-free Antifungal strategy, and that can ameliorate FK.

Keywords

Aspergillus fumigatus; Fungal keratitis; Oxygen vacancy; Zinc oxide nanoparticles.

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