title: Highly dynamic biodegradable micelles capable of lysing Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial membrane.
abstract: The development of biodegradable antimicrobial polymers adds to the toolbox of attractive antimicrobial agents against antibiotic-resistant microbes. To this end, the potential of polycarbonate polymers as such materials were explored. A series of random polycarbonate polymers consisting of monomers MTC-OEt and MTC-CH(2)CH(3)Cl were designed and synthesized using metal-free organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization. Random polycarbonate polymers self-assembled in solution but appeared highly dynamic; such behaviors are desirable as ready disassembly of polymers at the microbial membrane facilitates membrane disruption. Their activities against clinically relevant Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E.coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) revealed that the hydrophobic-hydrophilic composition balance in polymers are important to render antimicrobial potency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies indicated microbial cell surface damage after treatment with polymers, and confocal microscopy studies also showed entry of FITC-dextran dye in Escherichia coli as a result of membrane disruption. On the other hand, the polymers exhibited minimal toxicity against red blood cells in hemolysis tests. Therefore, these random polycarbonate polymers are promising antimicrobial agents against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria for various biomedical applications.
authors: Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore 138669, Singapore.
authors: Yuan
authors: Y
authors: Qiao
authors: Chuan
authors: C
authors: Yang
authors: Daniel J
authors: DJ
authors: Coady
authors: Zhan Yuin
authors: ZY
authors: Ong
authors: James L
authors: JL
authors: Hedrick
authors: Yi-Yan
authors: YY
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008823:Micelles; D011076:Polycarboxylate Cement / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008823:Micelles; D011076:Polycarboxylate Cement; C005506:polycarbonate