In this study, we investigated the effect of hydrocarbon length of ammonium side chain spacer arms on the antibacterial activity of amphiphilic methacrylate random copolymers and polymer conformation in a lipid bilayer. The antimicrobial and hemolytic activities of the copolymers were modulated by tuning the cationic side chain spacer arms. The copolymers with ethylene or butylene spacer arms selectively inhibited Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus growth without hemolysis. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that a model copolymer can adopt an amphiphilic conformation in which the cationic side chain arms and hydrophobic ethyl side chains of comonomers are segregated when bound to an anionic lipid bilayer.

Modulating the antibacterial activity of amphiphilic methacrylate copolymers by cationic side chain spacer arms

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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