Designer co-beta-peptide copolymer selectively targets resistant and biofilm Gram-negative bacteria.

New antimicrobials are urgently needed to combat Gram-negative bacteria, particularly multi-drug resistant (MDR) and phenotypically resistant biofilm species. At present, only sequence-defined alpha-peptides (e.g.

Nanoengineered with Optical Activity for Photothermal Cancer Immunotheranostics.

There is substantial interest regarding the understanding and designing of nanoengineered bacteria to combat various fatal diseases. Here, we report the nanoengineering of using Cremophor EL to encapsulate organic dye molecules by simple incubation and washing processes while maintaining the bacterial morphology and viability. The prepared functional bacteria exhibit characteristics such as optical absorbance, unique fluorescence, powerful photothermal conversion, low toxicity, excellent tumor targeting, and anticancer efficacy.

DNA-derived nanostructures selectively capture gram-positive bacteria.

We report the first demonstration of the efficient bacteria targeting properties of DNA-based polymeric micelles with high-density DNA corona. Nanoscale polymer micelles derived from DNA-b-polystyrene (DNA-b-PS) efficiently selected most tested Gram-positive strains over Gram-negative strains; single-strand DNAs were 20-fold less selective. We demonstrate that these targeting properties were derived from the interaction between densely packed DNA strands of the micelle corona and the peptidoglycan layers of Gram-positive bacteria.

Precisely Structured Nitric-Oxide-Releasing Copolymer Brush Defeats Broad-Spectrum Catheter-Associated Biofilm Infections .

Gram-negative bacteria cannot be easily eradicated by antibiotics and are a major source of recalcitrant infections of indwelling medical devices. Among various device-associated infections, intravascular catheter infection is a leading cause of mortality. Prior approaches to surface modification, such as antibiotics impregnation, hydrophilization, unstructured NO-releasing, etc.

Photothermogenetic inhibition of cancer stemness by near-infrared-light-activatable nanocomplexes.

Strategies for eradicating cancer stem cells (CSCs) are urgently required because CSCs are resistant to anticancer drugs and cause treatment failure, relapse and metastasis. Here, we show that photoactive functional nanocarbon complexes exhibit unique characteristics, such as homogeneous particle morphology, high water dispersibility, powerful photothermal conversion, rapid photoresponsivity and excellent photothermal stability. In addition, the present biologically permeable second near-infrared (NIR-II) light-induced nanocomplexes photo-thermally trigger calcium influx into target cells overexpressing the transient receptor potential vanilloid family type 2 (TRPV2).

Novel Antimicrobial Coating on Silicone Contact Lens Using Glycidyl Methacrylate and Polyethyleneimine Based Polymers.

Contact lenses are medical devices commonly used to correct refractive errors and to maintain ocular health. Microorganisms such as bacteria that grow on the lens surface cause irritation to the eyes and can even cause loss of vision. In this paper, two different coating strategies are employed to form an efficient antimicrobial coating on contact lenses.

A Glycosylated Cationic Block Poly(β-peptide) Reverses Intrinsic Antibiotic Resistance in All ESKAPE Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) are heading the list of pathogens for which antibiotics are the most critically needed. Many antibiotics are either unable to penetrate the outer-membrane or are excluded by efflux mechanisms. Here, we report a cationic block β-peptide (PAS8-b-PDM12) that reverses intrinsic antibiotic resistance in GNB by two distinct mechanisms of action.

Enantiomeric glycosylated cationic block co-beta-peptides eradicate Staphylococcus aureus biofilms and antibiotic-tolerant persisters.

The treatment of bacterial infections is hindered by the presence of biofilms and metabolically inactive persisters. Here, we report the synthesis of an enantiomeric block co-beta-peptide, poly(amido-D-glucose)-block-poly(beta-L-lysine), with high yield and purity by one-shot one-pot anionic-ring opening (co)polymerization. The co-beta-peptide is bactericidal against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), including replicating, biofilm and persister bacterial cells, and also disperses biofilm biomass.

Synthesis of Antibacterial Glycosylated Polycaprolactones Bearing Imidazoliums with Reduced Hemolytic Activity.

Most synthetic antimicrobial polymers are not biodegradable, thus limiting their potential for large-scale applications in personal care disinfection and environmental contaminations. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is known to be both biodegradable and biocompatible, thus representing an ideal candidate biopolymer for antimicrobial applications. Here we successfully grafted alkylimidazolium (Im) onto PCL to mimic the cationic properties of antimicrobial peptides.