title: Antibacterial Activity of Geminized Amphiphilic Cationic Homopolymers.
abstract: The current study is aimed at investigating the effect of cationic charge density and hydrophobicity on the antibacterial and hemolytic activities. Two kinds of cationic surfmers, containing single or double hydrophobic tails (octyl chains or benzyl groups), and the corresponding homopolymers were synthesized. The antimicrobial activity of these candidate antibacterials was studied by microbial growth inhibition assays against Escherichia coli, and hemolysis activity was carried out using human red blood cells. It was interestingly found that the homopolymers were much more effective in antibacterial property than their corresponding monomers. Furthermore, the geminized homopolymers had significantly higher antibacterial activity than that of their counterparts but with single amphiphilic side chains in each repeated unit. Geminized homopolymers, with high positive charge density and moderate hydrophobicity (such as benzyl groups), combine both advantages of efficient antibacterial property and prominently high selectivity. To further explain the antibacterial performance of the novel polymer series, the molecular interaction mechanism is proposed according to experimental data which shows that these specimens are likely to kill microbes by disrupting bacterial membranes, leading them unlikely to induce resistance.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xuefeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Danfeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil Exploitation; CNOOC Research Institute , Beijing 100027, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil Exploitation; CNOOC Research Institute , Beijing 100027, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil Exploitation; CNOOC Research Institute , Beijing 100027, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yingxian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Oil Production Technology Research Institute, Shengli Oilfield Branch Company, SINOPEC, Dongying 257000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Keji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jinben
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002412:Cations / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002412:Cations; D011108:Polymers; D013501:Surface-Active Agents