Issue 1, 2020

Self-assembling morphology-tunable single-component supramolecular antibiotics for enhanced antibacterial manipulation

Abstract

The problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a major cause of concern in the modern world, due to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. A single-component supramolecular antibiotic with different self-assembling morphologies that can effectively regulate antibacterial efficacy and present recyclable antimicrobial activity is proposed. This supramolecular antibiotic consists of a cationic polymer-grafted host–guest-conjugated amphiphilic molecule. With sequential ultrasonic and redox stimuli, its self-assemblies presented reversible morphology transitions from spherical micelles to branched aggregates and finally to dot-like assemblies in aqueous solution. Branched aggregates showed the strongest antibacterial ability for E. coli and S. aureus amongst the three self-assemblies, owing to the special enrichment form and high distribution density of the grafted cationic polymer chains on their surfaces. Fluorogen-activating protein imaging was innovatively employed to deeply investigate the supramolecular antibiotic mechanism. It is anticipated that the design of self-assembling, single-component supramolecular antibiotics may be a successful strategy to fight against the increasingly serious problem of drug-resistant bacteria.

Graphical abstract: Self-assembling morphology-tunable single-component supramolecular antibiotics for enhanced antibacterial manipulation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Sep 2019
Accepted
19 Nov 2019
First published
20 Nov 2019

Polym. Chem., 2020,11, 102-111

Self-assembling morphology-tunable single-component supramolecular antibiotics for enhanced antibacterial manipulation

X. Song, X. Deng, Q. Wang, J. Tian, F. He, H. Hu and W. Tian, Polym. Chem., 2020, 11, 102 DOI: 10.1039/C9PY01440C

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