Antimicrobial Activity of, and Cellular Pathways Targeted by, -Anisaldehyde and Epigallocatechin Gallate in the Opportunistic Human Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Plant-derived aldehydes are constituents of essential oils that possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and kill microorganisms without promoting resistance. In our previous study, we incorporated -anisaldehyde from star anise into a polymer network called proantimicrobial networks via degradable acetals (PANDAs) and used it as a novel drug delivery platform. PANDAs released -anisaldehyde upon a change in pH and humidity and controlled the growth of the multidrug-resistant pathogen PAO1.

A bio-based pro-antimicrobial polymer network via degradable acetal linkages.

Unlabelled: The synthesis of a fully degradable, bio-based, sustained release, pro-antimicrobial polymer network comprised of degradable acetals (PANDA) is reported. The active antimicrobial agent - p-anisaldehyde (pA) (an extract from star anise) - was converted into a UV curable acetal containing pro-antimicrobial monomer and subsequently photopolymerized into a homogenous thiol-ene network. Under neutral to acidic conditions (pH < 8), the PANDAs undergo surface erosion and exhibit sustained release of pA over 38 days.

Pro-Antimicrobial Networks via Degradable Acetals (PANDAs) Using Thiol-Ene Photopolymerization.

We describe the synthesis of pro-antimicrobial networks via degradable acetals (PANDAs) as a new paradigm for sequestration and triggered release of volatile, bioactive aldehydes. PANDAs derived from diallyl -chlorobenzaldehyde acetal degrade and release -chlorobenzaldehyde as an antibacterial and antifungal agent under mild conditions (pH 7.4/high humidity).

Functional Microcapsules via Thiol-Ene Photopolymerization in Droplet-Based Microfluidics.

Thiol-ene chemistry was exploited in droplet-based microfluidics to fabricate advanced microcapsules with tunable encapsulation, degradation, and thermal properties. In addition, by utilizing the thiol-ene photopolymerization with tunable cross-link density, we demonstrate the importance of monomer conversion on the retention of omniphilic cargo in double emulsion templated microcapsules. Furthermore, we highlight the rapid cure kinetics afforded by thiol-ene chemistry in a continuous flow photopatterning device for hemispherical microparticle production.

Utilizing Intrinsic Properties of Polyaniline to Detect Nucleic Acid Hybridization through UV-Enhanced Electrostatic Interaction.

Detection of specific RNA or DNA molecules by hybridization to "probe" nucleic acids via complementary base-pairing is a powerful method for analysis of biological systems. Here we describe a strategy for transducing hybridization events through modulating intrinsic properties of the electroconductive polymer polyaniline (PANI). When DNA-based probes electrostatically interact with PANI, its fluorescence properties are increased, a phenomenon that can be enhanced by UV irradiation.

Functional, composite polythioether nanoparticles via thiol-alkyne photopolymerization in miniemulsion.

Thiol-yne photopolymerization in miniemulsion is demonstrated as a simple, rapid, and one-pot synthetic approach to polythioether nanoparticles with tuneable particle size and clickable functionality. The strategy is also useful in the synthesis of composite polymer-inorganic nanoparticles.