Cationic homopolypeptides: A versatile tool to design multifunctional antimicrobial nanocoatings.

Postoperative infections are the most common complications faced by surgeons after implant surgery. To address this issue, an emerging and promising approach is to develop antimicrobial coatings using antibiotic substitutes. We investigated the use of polycationic homopolypeptides in a layer-by-layer coating combined with hyaluronic acid (HA) to produce an effective antimicrobial shield.

Design of Oligourea-Based Foldamers with Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities.

There is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies to fight the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria. Many antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been identified and characterized, but clinical translation has been limited partly due to their structural instability and degradability in physiological environments. The use of unnatural backbones leading to foldamers can generate peptidomimetics with improved properties and conformational stability.

Theoretical and Experimental Elucidation of the Adsorption Process of a Bioinspired Peptide on Mineral Surfaces.

Inorganic materials used for biomedical applications such as implants generally induce the adsorption of proteins on their surface. To control this phenomenon, the bioinspired peptidomimetic polymer 1 (PMP1), which aims to reproduce the adhesion of mussel foot proteins, is commonly used to graft specific proteins on various surfaces and to regulate the interfacial mechanism. To date and despite its wide application, the elucidation at the atomic scale of the PMP1 mechanism of adsorption on surfaces is still unknown.

New Smart Antimicrobial Hydrogels, Nanomaterials, and Coatings: Earlier Action, More Specific, Better Dosing?

To fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria adhering and developing on medical devices, which is a growing problem worldwide, researchers are currently developing new "smart" materials and coatings. They consist in delivery of antimicrobial agents in an intelligent way, i.e.