Issue 9, 2019

Bactericidal activity-tunable conjugated polymers as a human-friendly bactericide for the treatment of wound infections

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been reported to be an effective alternative to combat bacterial infections even those triggered by drug-resistant strains as there is little chance to develop resistance to this therapy. Therefore, it is imperative to design and synthesize a superior photo-active bactericide for the treatment of bacterial infections. Herein, we synthesized three bactericidal activity-tunable conjugated polymers (P1–P3) with various photoactive capabilities and employed them for the treatment of wound infections with little damage to cells; by altering the construction unit of π-conjugated backbone structures with electron-rich and electron-deficient aromatic heterocycles, the optical properties and ability of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation could be regulated; this resulted in a tunable killing ability. The cationic quaternary ammonium (QA) groups on the side chains endowed the CPs with not only good dispersibility but also a better interaction with the negatively charged membrane of bacteria. The antibacterial experiments towards ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli TOP10 (E. coli) and the treatment of wound infections in mice indicate that the P1–P3 have varied bactericidal activities; moreover, P3 has been demonstrated to be a human-friendly bactericide with excellent antibacterial capability. It not only acts as a potential bactericide for the practical treatment of infectious wounds, but also offers guidance for the design and structure control of photo-active bactericides.

Graphical abstract: Bactericidal activity-tunable conjugated polymers as a human-friendly bactericide for the treatment of wound infections

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 May 2019
Accepted
02 Jun 2019
First published
08 Jun 2019

Biomater. Sci., 2019,7, 3788-3794

Bactericidal activity-tunable conjugated polymers as a human-friendly bactericide for the treatment of wound infections

H. Wang, L. Guo, Y. Wang and L. Feng, Biomater. Sci., 2019, 7, 3788 DOI: 10.1039/C9BM00695H

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