Current antimicrobial strategies have mostly been developed to manage infections due to planktonic cells. However, microbes in their nature state will tend to exist by attaching to and growing on living and inanimate surfaces that result in the formation of biofilms. Conventional therapies for treating biofilm-related infections are likely to be insufficient due to the lower susceptibility of microbes that are embedded in the biofilm matrix. In this study, we report the development of biodegradable hydrogels from vitamin E-functionalized polycarbonates for antimicrobial applications. These hydrogels were formed by incorporating positively-charged polycarbonates containing propyl and benzyl side chains with vitamin E moiety into physically cross-linked networks of ''ABA''-type polycarbonate and poly(ethylene glycol) triblock copolymers. Antimicrobial studies revealed that the more hydrophobic VE/BnCl(1:30)-loaded hydrogels generally exhibited better antimicrobial effects compared to the VE/PrBr(1:30) counterpart as lower minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were observed in S. aureus (Gram-positive), E. coli (Gram-negative) and C. albicans (fungus). Similar trends were observed for the treatment of biofilms where VE/BnCl(1:30)-loaded hydrogels displayed better efficiency in reducing the biomass and microbe viability of the biofilms (Figure 1). Furthermore, a high degree of synergistic antimicrobial effects was also observed through the co-delivery of antimicrobial polycarbonates with a conventionally-used antifungal agent, fluconazole. These hydrogels also displayed excellent compatibility with human dermal fibroblasts with cell viability > 80% after treatment with hydrogels containing cationic polymers and/or fluconazole at minimum biocidal concentrations (MBC).

Biofilm eradication using physically cross-linked hydrogels formed from vitamin E-functionalized polycarbonates

247th National Meeting (2014)

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