Cationic Poly([R]‐3‐hydroxybutyrate) Copolymers as Antimicrobial Agents

Poly([R]‐3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), a natural biodegradable polyester, has attracted much attention as a new biomaterial because of its sustainability and good biocompatibility. In this study, it is discovered that PHB can be conveniently functionalized to obtain a number of platform chain architectures that may provide a wide range of functional copolymers. In a transesterification reaction, linear (di‐hydroxylated) and star shaped (tri‐ and tetra‐hydroxylated) PHB oligomers are synthesized, followed by copolymerization with 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and quaternization with benzyl bromide to afford antimicrobial properties. The antimicrobial activities of the quaternary salts against clinically relevant pathogens on the interactions with outer and cytoplasmic membranes, lethal mechanisms, multipassage resistance, and synergy effect with antibiotics are investigated. Cationic PHB copolymers show effectiveness as antimicrobial agents, with minimum inhibitory concentration values 0.24–0.65 µm (or µmol dm^?3) (or 32–128 µg mL^?1) against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria. Modifying the copolymer architectures into star shapes results in enhanced effectiveness to disrupt the membrane integrity. Synergistic effects are attained for all the quaternized PHB derivatives when they are used together with tobramycin. Multipassage resistance does not occur in both the linear and star derivatives against Gram‐negative bacteria after 20 passages.     

Mass spectrometry characterization of 3‐OH butyrated β‐cyclodextrin

Oligo(3‐OH butyrate)‐β‐cyclodextrin esters (PHB‐CD) were obtained through ring opening of β‐butyrolactone (β‐BL) in the presence of β‐cyclodextrin (CD) and (‐)‐sparteine (SP) as nucleophilic activator. The resulted reaction mixture was first separated in two fractions and then investigated through a deep mass spectrometry (MS) study performed on a liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐quadrupole time of flight (LC‐ESI‐QTOF) instrument. LC MS and tandem MS structural assignment of the reaction products was completed by NMR. The performed analysis revealed that poly(3‐OH butyrate) homopolymers (PHB) are formed together with the PHB‐CD products. Secondary reactions resulting in the formation of crotonates were also proved to occur. A comparison between MS and NMR results demonstrated that more than one PHB oligomer is attached to the CD in the PHB‐CD product. The tandem MS fragmentation studies validated the proposed structure of CD derivatives. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic antibacterial copolymers

Macromolecule antimicrobials have been explored in foundational research and practical application due to their potential merit for reducing the residual toxicity, increasing their efficiency, selectivity, and prolonging the lifetime of the antimicrobial material. In this work, the quaternized poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(DMAEMA) diblock polymers are synthesized by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) evaluation and optical density (OD) method demonstrated that the amphiphilic antibacterial biomaterials have exceptional antibacterial properties. The amphiphilic polycation has an admirable antibacterial property, and these quaternized diblocks are potent biocides and nonhemolytic. The relationship between the structure and activity is discussed with respect to molecular weight of the diblocks and bacteria structural dependence. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

液晶嵌段共聚物PET/60PHB-b-PC的合成及结构与性能

采用ＰＥＴ齐聚物的原位乙酰化法通过加入少量乙二醇（ＥＧ）合成了端羟基液晶聚合物ＰＥＴ／６０ＰＨＢ，并将其作为大单体，与双酚Ａ及碳酸二苯酯通过熔融酯交换法，进一步制得了液晶嵌段共聚物ＰＥＴ／６０ＰＨＢ ｂ ＰＣ．研究了合成规律，并借助粘度测定、ＤＳＣ、偏光显微镜、Ｘ 光衍射和红外光谱分析等手段对合成的液晶嵌段共聚物进行了表征．研究表明，当ＰＥＴ齐聚物的ηｉｎｈ＝００５～００７ｄＬ／ｇ，Ａｃ２Ｏ／ＰＨＢ（ｍｏｌ／ｍｏｌ）＝１３，ＥＧ／ＰＥＴ（ｍｏｌ／ｍｏｌ）＝００６时能获得颜色、液晶性、溶解性均很好的端羟基液晶聚合物ＰＥＴ／６０ＰＨＢ，以此液晶聚合物为原料，采用合适的配方与工艺，能获得粘度较高、液晶性较好，并且熔体流动性很好的液晶嵌段共聚物ＰＥＴ／６０ＰＨＢ ｂ ＰＣ．通过偏光显微镜与Ｘ 光衍射观察，证明此嵌段共聚物呈现向列型液晶织构，但其液晶态织构与纯ＰＥＴ／６０ＰＨＢ、ＰＥＴ／６０ＰＨＢ和ＰＣ的混合物明显不同．此外，还初步建立了用红外的分析手段鉴定液晶聚合物ＰＥＴ／６０ＰＨＢ端基的方法．     

Preparation and characterization of PHB/PBAT–based biodegradable antibacterial hydrophobic nanofibrous membranes

In this study, polyhydroxybutyrate/poly(butyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PHB/PBAT) nanofibrous membranes were produced by electrospinning the blends of biodegradable PHB and PBAT. The antibacterial hydrophobic nanofiber membranes were obtained by grafting 1‐allylhydantoin and perfluorooctyl acrylate onto the PHB/PBAT membranes. The prepared nanofibrous membranes were chlorinated with chlorine bleach and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and thermogravimetric analysis. The chlorinated nanofibrous membranes exhibited efficient antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43895) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) with 6.08 and 5.78 log reduction, respectively. The contact angle of this antibacterial membrane was 123.1° ± 1.9°. The treated membranes showed good stability and durability towards UV‐A light exposure and storage. Therefore, our designed antibacterial hydrophobic nanofibrous membranes may have great potential for use in food packaging.     

Water‐Insensitive Synthesis of Poly‐β‐Peptides with Defined Architecture

Biocompatible and proteolysis‐resistant poly‐β‐peptides have broad applications and are dominantly synthesized via the harsh and water‐sensitive ring‐opening polymerization of β‐lactams in a glovebox or using a Schlenk line, catalyzed by the strong base LiN(SiMe₃)₂. We have developed a controllable and water‐insensitive ring‐opening polymerization of β‐amino acid N‐thiocarboxyanhydrides (β‐NTAs) that can be operated in open vessels to prepare poly‐β‐peptides in high yields, with diverse functional groups, variable chain length, narrow dispersity and defined architecture. These merits imply wide applications of β‐NTA polymerization and resulting poly‐β‐peptides, which is validated by the finding of a HDP‐mimicking poly‐β‐peptide with potent antimicrobial activities. The living β‐NTA polymerization enables the controllable synthesis of random, block copolymers and easy tuning of both terminal groups of polypeptides, which facilitated the unravelling of the antibacterial mechanism using the fluorophore‐labelled poly‐β‐peptide.     

Synthesis and ring‐opening polymerization of macrocyclic (arylene thioether ketone) oligomers

Macrocyclic (arylene thioether ketone) oligomers together with a linear poly(phenylene sulfide ketone) oligomer were synthesized by a one‐step reaction. The macrocycles and linear oligomer were fully characterized by ¹³C‐NMR, H‐NMR, matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and FT‐IR. Uncatalyzed, simultaneously ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of the macrocycles and the mixture of macrocycles and linear oligomer were carried out under dynamic heating conditions. The ROP temperature of the macrocycles decreased upon mixing it with the linear oligomer. The ROP conditions and mechanism were investigated and discussed. The macrocycles and their mixture show potential applications in high temperature adhesives and sealants. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface antimicrobial modification of polyamide by poly(hexamethylene guanidine) hydrochloride

Antimicrobial polyamide (PA) received much attention for the demand of packaging and biomedical fields. In this paper, an antimicrobial PA6 membrane was prepared via a surface chemical reaction. A highly effective antibacterial component (PHMG‐E) with terminal epoxy group was firstly synthesized via a reaction between polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMG) and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE). Then, PHMG‐E was bonded on the surface of PA6 membrane with secondary amine reduced by borane‐tetrahydrofuran (BH₃‐THF). The antimicrobial rates of surface‐modified PA6 membrane (PA6‐PHMG) against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were both higher than 99.99%, and the PHMG was non‐leaching due to the chemical bonding. The hydrophilicity of antibacterial PA6 membrane was also significantly improved and the mechanical performance became better.     

Oxidative Cyclization of Isoniazid with Fluoroquinolones: Synthesis,Antibacterial and Antitubercular Activity of New 2,5‐disubstituted‐1,3,4‐Oxadiazoles

We report herein one‐pot synthesis and the antibacterial and antitubercular activities of 2,5‐disubstituted‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole compounds obtained by hybridization of a well‐known antitubercular agent isoniazid (INH ) with four broad‐spectrum antibiotics belonging to fluoroquinolone (FQ ) class. The work is aimed at designing and developing potential antimicrobial agents having synergistic action due to the coupling of INH and FQ through the biologically active 1,3,4‐oxadiazole nucleus. The synthesized compounds are expected to have low toxicity as compared to INH due to the absence of free hydrazide group in the chemical structure of the prepared derivatives. The antibacterial activities of the 1,3,4 oxadiazole derivatives were also tested against several Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative pathogenic bacterial strains. The antitubercular activity was evaluated against M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv strain, and the results were compared with that of the positive control INH . The title compounds showed excellent antimicrobial and promising antitubercular activity in comparison to the parent fluoroquinolones and INH , respectively.     

Synthesis and Thermal Properties of Biodegradable Poly(ester‐urethane)s Based on Chemo‐Synthetic Poly[(R,S)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate]

A series of telechelic oligo[(R,S)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate]‐diols (PHB‐diols) was synthesized from ethyl (R,S)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate (ethyl (HB)) and four different aliphatic diols, namely, 1,4‐butanediol, 1,6‐hexanediol, 1,8‐octanediol and 1,10‐decanediol by transesterification and condensation in bulk. The structures of the synthesized oligomers were confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and MALDI‐TOF mass spectroscopy. The use of 1,4‐butanediol results in an oligoester with hydroxyl functionality of approximately 2. In the case of the higher aliphatic diols, the number average functionalities were found to be lower than 2. These differences were ascribed to side reactions which occur during polymerization, yielding unreactive end groups. Other novel families of biodegradable poly(ester‐urethane)s were synthesized either from PHB‐diol alone, or PHB‐diol mixed with poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐diol (PCL‐diol), poly(butylene adipate)‐diol (PBA‐diol) or poly(diethylene glycol adipate)‐diol (PDEGA‐diol). In each case, 1,6‐hexamethylene diisocyanate was used as a nontoxic connecting agent. The homopolymers prepared from PCL‐diol, PBA‐diol and PDEGA‐diol were also synthesized for the sake of comparison. All the prepared copolymers possess high molecular weight with glass transition temperature (T_g) values varying from –54 to –23°C. Some of the prepared copoly(ester‐urethane)s are partially crystalline with melting temperatures (T_m's) varying from 37 to 56°C.     

An expeditious one‐pot synthesis of substituted phenylazetidin‐2‐ones in the presence of zeolite

In this study, one‐pot rapid and efficient series of phenylazetidin‐2‐ones were synthesized from N,N‐dimethylaminobenzaldehyde, different substituted aromatic amines and phenylacetyl chloride in the presence of zeolite catalyst under microwave irradiation. We also reported schiff bases (1a–j) by classical and conventional microwave technique. The titled compounds are evaluated for their antimicrobial properties. The activities are due to C?O, C? N, linkages in 2‐azetidinones. All the compounds have shown comparable antibacterial activities. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).     

Synthesis and structural characterization of new bioactive ligands and their Bi(III) derivatives

Five new carboxylic acid precursors bearing thiourea group and their corresponding bismuth(III) complexes were synthesized and characterized using CHNS and inductively coupled plasma analyses and infrared and NMR (¹H, ¹³C) spectroscopies. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis was also carried out for one of the precursors. The behaviour of the compounds was bioassayed for antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and enzyme (lipoxygenase, α‐glycosidase and anti‐urease) inhibition activities. It is concluded that the interaction of the compounds with bismuth enhances both the antimicrobial and enzyme inhibition activities. The synthesized compounds may prove to be good therapeutic agents.     

Ring‐opening polymerization of β‐butyrolactone catalyzed by efficient magnesium and zinc complexes derived from tridentate anilido‐aldimine ligand

Magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) complexes incorporating tridentate anilido‐aldimine ligand, (E)‐2, 6‐diisopropyl‐N‐(2‐((2‐(piperidin‐1‐yl)ethylimino)methyl)phenyl)aniline ( AA ^Pip ‐H, 1 ), were synthesized and structurally characterized. The reaction of AA ^Pip ‐H ( 1 ) with MgⁿBu₂ or ZnEt₂ in equivalent proportions afforded the monomeric complex [( AA ^Pip )MgⁿBu] ( 2 ) or [( AA ^Pip )ZnEt] ( 3 ), respectively. The coordination modes of these complexes differ in the solid state: Mg complex 2 shows a four‐coordinated and distorted tetrahedral geometry, whereas Zn complex 3 adopts a trigonal planar geometry with a three‐coordinated Zn center. Complexes 2 and 3 are efficient catalysts for the ring‐opening polymerization of β‐butyrolactone (β‐BL) in the presence of 9‐anthracenemethanol (9‐AnOH). The polymerization of β‐BL with the Zn catalyst system is demonstrated in a living fashion with a narrow polydispersity index, PDI = 1.01–1.10. The number‐averaged molecular weight (M_n) of the produced poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is quite close to the expected M_n over diverse molar ratios of monomer to 9‐AnOH. A greater ratio of monomer to alcohol catalyzed by Zn complex 3 served to form PHB with a large molecular weight (M_n > 60000). An effective method to prepare PHB‐b‐PCL and PEG‐b‐PHB by the ring‐opening copolymerization of β‐BL catalyzed by zinc complex 3 is reported. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis,antimicrobial activity,and molecular docking study of formylnaphthalenyloxymethyl‐triazolyl‐N‐phenylacetamides

In the present study, substituted formylnaphthalenyloxymethyl‐triazolyl‐N‐phenylacetamide derivatives ( 6a – k ) have been designed and synthesized employing click chemistry approach and evaluated for their in vitro antifungal and antibacterial activities. All the newly synthesized compounds were thoroughly characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and HRMS spectral techniques. Among the screened compounds, 6d , 6e , 6j , and 6k have shown good antifungal and antibacterial activities. Compound 6k has shown very effective antimicrobial activity. We further performed exploratory docking studies on microbial DNA gyrase to rationalize the in vitro biological data and to demonstrate the mechanism of antimicrobial activity. This is the first report to demonstrate the formylnaphthalenyloxymethyl, triazole, and N‐phenylacetamide hybrids as potential antimicrobial agents.     

S‐Nitrosoglutathione‐Based Nitric Oxide‐Releasing Nanofibers Exhibit Dual Antimicrobial and Antithrombotic Activity for Biomedical Applications

The novel use of nanofibers as a physical barrier between blood and medical devices has allowed for modifiable, innovative surface coatings on devices ordinarily plagued by thrombosis, delayed healing, and chronic infection. In this study, the nitric oxide (NO) donor S‐nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is blended with the biodegradable polymers polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polylactic acid (PLA) for the fabrication of hemocompatible, antibacterial nanofibers tailored for blood‐contacting applications. Stress/strain behavior of different concentrations of PHB and PLA is recorded to optimize the mechanical properties of the nanofibers. Nanofibers incorporated with different concentrations of GSNO (10, 15, 20 wt%) are evaluated based on their NO‐releasing kinetics. PLA/PHB + 20 wt% GSNO nanofibers display the greatest NO release over 72 h (0.4–1.5 × 10^?10 mol mg^?1 min^?1). NO‐releasing fibers successfully reduce viable adhered bacterial counts by ≈80% after 24 h of exposure to Staphylococcus aureus. NO‐releasing nanofibers exposed to porcine plasma reduce platelet adhesion by 64.6% compared to control nanofibers. The nanofibers are found noncytotoxic (>95% viability) toward NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts, and 4′,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole and phalloidin staining shows that fibroblasts cultured on NO‐releasing fibers have improved cellular adhesion and functionality. Therefore, these novel NO‐releasing nanofibers provide a safe antimicrobial and hemocompatible coating for blood‐contacting medical devices.     

Synthesis and in vitro antibacterial assessment of novel chromones featuring 1,2,4‐oxadiazole

In search for a new antibacterial agent with improved antimicrobial spectrum and potency, we designed and synthesized a series of novel 3‐((Z)‐2‐(5‐methyl‐1,2,4‐oxadiazol‐3‐yl)‐2‐(4‐nitrophenyl)vinyl)‐4H‐chromen‐4‐ones 7a , 7b , 7c , 7d , 7e , 7f , 7g , 7h by convergent synthesis approach. All the synthesized compounds were assayed for their in vitro antibacterial activities against gram‐negative and gram‐positive bacteria. The preliminary structure‐activity relationship to elucidate the essential structure requirements for the antimicrobial activity has been described. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).     

Near‐monodisperse,catalytically active,imidazole‐containing homooligomers: Synthesis by group transfer polymerization and solution characterization

Oligomers covering degrees of polymerization up to 23 of 2‐(1‐imidazolyl)ethyl methacrylate (ImEMA) were synthesized by group transfer polymerization (GTP) in propylene carbonate and tetrahydrofuran (THF). While GTP proceeds smoothly in propylene carbonate, polymerization in THF is accompanied by oligomer precipitation. The molecular weights (MWs) and molecular weight distributions (MWDs) of the oligomers were obtained by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) using acidic aqueous sodium nitrate as the eluent. Good control over the MW and small polydispersity indices (PDIs) were measured for the oligomers prepared in propylene carbonate but not in THF. The oligomers were evaluated for their ability to hydrolyze 4‐nitrophenyl acetate in aqueous solution. The hydrolytic activity increased with oligomer MW. The oligomer concentration‐ and substrate concentration‐dependencies of the initial hydrolysis rate were both found to be approximately first order. The hydrolytic activity increased with an increase in pH, manifesting the enhanced nucleophilicity and pronounced hydrophobicity of the unprotonated form of the repeating units. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1501–1512, 1999     

Mechanistic Investigations of the Stereoselective Rare Earth Metal‐Mediated Ring‐Opening Polymerization of β‐Butyrolactone

Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is produced by numerous bacteria as carbon and energy reserve storage material. Whereas nature only produces PHB in its strictly isotactic (R) form, homogeneous catalysis, when starting from racemic (rac) β‐butyrolactone (BL) as monomer, can in fact produce a wide variety of tacticities. The variation of the metal center and the surrounding ligand structure enable activity as well as tacticity tuning. However, no homogeneous catalyst exists to date that is easy to modify, highly active, and able to produce PHB with high isotacticities from rac‐β‐BL. Therefore, in this work, the reaction kinetics of various 2‐methoxyethylamino‐bis(phenolate) lanthanide (Ln=Sm, Tb, Y, Lu) catalysts are examined in detail. The order in monomer and catalyst are determined to elucidate the reaction mechanism and the results are correlated with DFT calculations of the catalytic cycle. Furthermore, the enthalpies and entropies of the rate‐determining steps are determined through temperature‐dependent in situ IR measurements. Experimental and computational results converge in one specific mechanism for the ring‐opening polymerization of BL and even allow us to rationalize the preference for syndiotactic PHB.     

Concentration‐Dependent Self‐Assembly of a Novel Comb Oligomer Having Rigid Binaphthyl Macrocyclic Pendants

Summary: The synthesis and self‐assembly of a comb oligomer having rigid racemic binaphthyl macrocyclic pendant groups are described. The coupling of two structural motifs at the molecular level, e.g., a nanometer‐size chiral cavity, and a flexible polymeric backbone, could lead to new opportunities in molecular recognition and separation. The macrocyclic monomers were synthesized followed by introduction of an acrylate side‐group, and through free‐radical polymerization, they yielded a comb oligomer. Most importantly, this novel oligomer can self‐assemble into solid or hollow spheres when tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions of the oligomer at different concentrations are dropped onto the surface of water. The morphology of the solid or hollow spheres was observed by TEM, ESEM and DLS.

A schematic illustration of the processes of self‐assembly of the oligomer.     

Poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate)]/poly(styrene) blends compatibilized with the relevant block copolymer

A novel triblock copolymer PS–PHB–PS based on the microbial polyester Poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate)] (PHB) and poly(styrene) (PS) was prepared to be used as compatibilizer for the corresponding PHB/PS blends. It was prepared in a three‐step procedure consisting of (i) transesterification reaction between ethylene glycol and a high‐molecular‐weight PHB, (ii) synthesis of bromo‐terminated PHB macroinitiator, and (iii) atom transfer radical polymerization polymerization of styrene initiated by the PHB‐based macroinitiator. Fourier transform infrared, gel permeation chromatography, ¹H‐, and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopies were used to determine the molecular structure and/or end‐group functionalities at each step of the procedure. Although thermogravimetric analysis showed that the block copolymer underwent a stepwise thermal degradation and had better thermal stability than their respective homopolymers, differential scanning calorimetry displayed that the PHB block in the copolymer could not crystallize, and thus generating a total amorphous structure. Atomic force microscopy images indicated that the block copolymer was phase segregated in a well‐defined morphological structure with nanodomain size of ～40 nm. Contact angle measurements proved that the wettability properties of the block copolymer were in between those of the PHB and PS homopolymers. Blends analyzed for their morphology and thermal properties showed good miscibility and had well‐defined morphological features. Polymer blends exhibited lower crystallinity and decreased stiffness which was proportional to the amount of compatibilizer content in the blends. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012