title: Engineering Gram Selectivity of Mixed-Charge Gold Nanoparticles by Tuning the Balance of Surface Charges.
abstract: Nanoparticles covered with ligand shells comprising both positively and negatively charged ligands exhibit Gram-selective antibacterial action controlled by a single experimental parameter, namely the proportion of [+] and [-] ligands tethered onto these particles. Gram selectivity is attributed to the interplay between polyvalent electrostatic and non-covalent interactions that work in unison to disrupt the bacterial cell wall. The [+/-] nanoparticles are effective in low doses, are non-toxic to mammalian cells, and are tolerated well in mice. These results constitute the first example of rational engineering of Gram selectivity at the (macro)molecular level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.|Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
authors.forename: Pramod P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Pillai
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Bartlomiej
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kowalczyk
authors.affiliation: IBS Center for Soft and Living Matter and Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kristiana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kandere-Grzybowska
authors.affiliation: IBS Center for Soft and Living Matter and Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borkowska
authors.affiliation: IBS Center for Soft and Living Matter and Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South Korea. grzybor72@unist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Bartosz A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Grzybowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008024:Ligands; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D055672:Static Electricity; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: C505222:11-mercaptoundecanoic acid; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008024:Ligands; C538982:N,N,N-trimethyl(11-mercaptoundecyl)ammonium chloride; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D006046:Gold
keywords: Gram specificity; antibiotics; ligands; nanoparticles; surface charge