Macromolecular-clustered facial amphiphilic antimicrobials

Md Anisur Rahman, Marpe Bam, Edgar Luat, Moumita Sharmin Jui, Mitra S. Ganewatta, Tinom Shokfai, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Alan W. Decho and Chuanbing Tang ()
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Md Anisur Rahman: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Marpe Bam: University of South Carolina, School of Medicine
Edgar Luat: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Moumita Sharmin Jui: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Mitra S. Ganewatta: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Tinom Shokfai: University of South Carolina
Mitzi Nagarkatti: University of South Carolina, School of Medicine
Alan W. Decho: University of South Carolina
Chuanbing Tang: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance, particularly by Gram-negative pathogens, have become a global healthcare crisis. We report the design of a class of cationic antimicrobial polymers that cluster local facial amphiphilicity from repeating units to enhance interactions with bacterial membranes without requiring a globally conformational arrangement associated with highly unfavorable entropic loss. This concept of macromolecular architectures is demonstrated with a series of multicyclic natural product-based cationic polymers. We have shown that cholic acid derivatives with three charged head groups are more potent and selective than lithocholic and deoxycholic counterparts, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria. This is ascribed to the formation of true facial amphiphilicity with hydrophilic ion groups oriented on one face and hydrophobic multicyclic hydrocarbon structures on the opposite face. Such local facial amphiphilicity is clustered via a flexible macromolecular backbone in a concerted way when in contact with bacterial membranes.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07651-7

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