Poly(para-phenylene ethynylene) (PPE)- and poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV)-poly[(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl) trimethylammonium chloride] (PMETAC) graft copolymers exhibit selective antimicrobial activity

Publication date: January 2018 Source:European Polymer Journal, Volume 98 Author(s): Mona Damavandi, Lisa I. Pilkington, Kathryn A. Whitehead, Joels Wilson-Nieuwenhuis, Jordan McBrearty, Nina Dempsey-Hibbert, Jadranka Travis-Sejdic, David Barker Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a global health concern; as such, the need for new effective treatments and preventive measures is increasing. Poly(para-phenylene ethynylene) (PPE)- and poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV)-poly[(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl) trimethylammonium chloride] (PMETAC) graft copolymers were tested against a range of clinically and industrially relevant bacteria and results showed many of these conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPE’s) to be active. Of all of the compounds tested, PPE-g-PMETAC (low molecular weight, LMW) had greatest antimicrobial activity, especially against Enterococcus faecium, Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii. Graphical abstract
Source: European Polymer Journal - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research