Synthesis and antimicrobial activities of structurally novel S,S'-bis(heterosubstituted) disulfides.

The central focus of this study is on the antibacterial and antifungal properties of synthetically produced S,S'-bis(heterosubstituted) disulfides as a means to control the growth of various infection-causing pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus, Francisella tularensis and Candida albicans were each found to be highly susceptible to several of these compounds by agar or broth dilution and Kirby-Bauer diffusion assays. These structurally simple, low molecular weight disulfides have shown promising bioactivities and may serve as leads to the development of effective new antibacterials for pathogenic bacteria such as methicillin-resistant S.

Physical properties and biological activity of poly(butyl acrylate-styrene) nanoparticle emulsions prepared with conventional and polymerizable surfactants.

Unlabelled: Recent efforts in our laboratory have explored the use of polyacrylate nanoparticles in aqueous media as stable emulsions for potential applications in treating drug-resistant bacterial infections. These emulsions are made by emulsion polymerization of acrylated antibiotic compounds in a mixture of butyl acrylate and styrene (7:3 wt/wt) using sodium dodecyl sulfate as a surfactant. Prior work in our group established that the emulsions required purification to remove toxicity associated with extraneous surfactant present in the media.

Unsymmetric aryl-alkyl disulfide growth inhibitors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis.

This study describes the antibacterial properties of synthetically produced mixed aryl-alkyl disulfide compounds as a means to control the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis. Some of these compounds exerted strong in vitro bioactivity. Our results indicate that among the 12 different aryl substituents examined, nitrophenyl derivatives provide the strongest antibiotic activities.

Methods for purifying and detoxifying sodium dodecyl sulfate-stabilized polyacrylate nanoparticles.

Recent research in our laboratory has centered on studies of polyacrylate and polyacrylamide nanoparticle emulsions for use in antibiotic delivery. Our goal is to develop these nanoparticle emulsions for treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections such as those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. For this intended application it is necessary to ensure that the biological activity of the emulsion is due only to the drug attached to the polymeric chain and not to any extraneous components.