title: Direct visualization of bactericidal action of cationic conjugated polyelectrolytes and oligomers.
abstract: The bactericidal mechanisms of poly(phenylene ethynylene) (PPE)-based cationic conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPE) and oligo-phenylene ethynylenes (OPE) were investigated using electron/optical microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The ultrastructural analysis shows that polymeric PPE-Th can significantly remodel the bacterial outer membrane and/or the peptidoglycan layer, followed by the possible collapse of the bacterial cytoplasm membrane. In contrast, oligomeric end-only OPE (EO-OPE) possesses potent bacteriolysis activity, which efficiently disintegrates the bacterial cytoplasm membrane and induces the release of bacterial cell content. Using single giant vesicles and SAXS, we demonstrated that the membrane perturbation mechanism of EO-OPE against model bacterial membranes results from a 3D membrane phase transition or perturbation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-1341, United States.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Corbitt
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Jett
authors.forename: Yanli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Kirk S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Schanze
authors.forename: Eva Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Whitten
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D002412:Cations; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D011108:Polymers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D004573:Electrolytes; D011108:Polymers