Fight bacteria with bacteria: Bacterial membrane vesicles as vaccines and delivery nanocarriers against bacterial infections.

Bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) are particles secreted by bacteria with diameter of 20-400 nm. The pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) present on the surface of MVs are capable of activating human immune system, leading to non-specific immune response and specific immune response. Due to the immunostimulatory properties and proteoliposome nanostructures, MVs have been increasingly explored as vaccines or delivery systems for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections. Herein, the recent progresses of MVs for antibacterial applications are reviewed to provide an overview of MVs vaccines and MVs-related delivery systems. In addition, the safety issues of bacterial MVs are discussed to demonstrate their potential for clinical translation. In the end of this review, the challenges of bacterial MVs as vaccines and delivery systems for clinical applications are highlighted with the purpose of predicting future research directions in this field.

Accelerated antimicrobial discovery via deep generative models and molecular dynamics simulations.

The de novo design of antimicrobial therapeutics involves the exploration of a vast chemical repertoire to find compounds with broad-spectrum potency and low toxicity. Here, we report an efficient computational method for the generation of antimicrobials with desired attributes. The method leverages guidance from classifiers trained on an informative latent space of molecules modelled using a deep generative autoencoder, and screens the generated molecules using deep-learning classifiers as well as physicochemical features derived from high-throughput molecular dynamics simulations. Within 48 days, we identified, synthesized and experimentally tested 20 candidate antimicrobial peptides, of which two displayed high potency against diverse Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens (including multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae) and a low propensity to induce drug resistance in Escherichia coli. Both peptides have low toxicity, as validated in vitro and in mice. We also show using live-cell confocal imaging that the bactericidal mode of action of the peptides involves the formation of membrane pores. The combination of deep learning and molecular dynamics may accelerate the discovery of potent and selective broad-spectrum antimicrobials.

Identification of Structural Attributes Contributing to the Potency and Selectivity of Antimicrobial Polyionenes: Amides Are Better Than Esters.

Polyionenes are a unique class of materials in which the charges reside along the polymer backbone and have emerged as an important class of antimicrobials. In this study, we have synthesized polyionenes based on quaternary ammonium salts consisting of amides or esters or amide/ester combinations. These materials have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against various types of pathogenic microbes and exhibit a low minimum inhibitor concentration. Importantly, polyionenes with amides outperformed esters in terms of their antimicrobial activity, selectivity, and killing kinetics. Our findings offer insights into the macromolecular design to access selective and potent antimicrobial agents.

Degradable antimicrobial polycarbonates with unexpected activity and selectivity for treating multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection in mice.

Multidrug resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections around the world, with attendant high rates of morbidity and mortality. Progressive reduction in potency of antibiotics capable of treating MDR K. pneumoniae infections - including lung infection - as a consequence of escalating drug resistance provides the motivation to develop drug candidates targeting MDR K. pneumoniae. We recently reported degradable broad-spectrum antimicrobial guanidinium-functionalized polycarbonates with unique antimicrobial mechanism - membrane translocation followed by precipitation of cytosolic materials. These polymers exhibited high potency against bacteria with negligible toxicity. The polymer with ethyl spacer between the quanidinium group and the polymer backbone (pEt_20) showed excellent in vivo efficacy for treating MDR K. pneumoniae-caused peritonitis in mice. In this study, the structures of the polymers were optimized for the treatment of MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection. Specifically, in vitro antimicrobial activity and selectivity of guanidinium-functionalized polycarbonates containing the same number of guanidinium groups but of a shorter chain length and a structural analogue containing a thiouronium moiety as the pendent cationic group were evaluated. The polymers with optimal compositions and varying hydrophobicity were assessed against 25 clinically isolated K. pneumonia strains for antimicrobial activity and killing kinetics. The results showed that the polymers killed the bacteria more efficiently than clinically used antibiotics, and repeated use of the polymers did not cause drug resistance in K. pneumonia. Particularly, the polymer with butyl spacer (pBut_20) self-assembled into micelles at high concentrations, where the hydrophobic component was shielded in the micellar core, preventing interacting with mammalian cells. A subtle change in the hydrophobicity increased the antimicrobial activity while reducing in vivo toxicity. The in vivo efficacy studies showed that pBut_20 alleviated K. pneumonia lung infection without inducing damage to major organs. Taken together, pBut_20 is promising for treating MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection in vivo. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Multidrug resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections, with attendant high rates of morbidity and mortality. The progressive reduction in antibiotics capable of treating MDR K. pneumoniae infections - including lung infection - as a consequence of escalating drug resistance rates provides the motivation to develop drug candidates. In this study, we report a degradable guanidinium-functionalized polycarbonate with unexpected antimicrobial activity and selectivity towards MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae. A subtle change in polymer hydrophobicity increases antimicrobial activity while reducing in vivo toxicity due to self-assembly at high concentrations. The polymer with optimal composition alleviates Klebsiella pneumonia lung infection without inducing damage to major organs. The polymer is promising for treating MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection in vivo.

Polymers with distinctive anticancer mechanism that kills MDR cancer cells and inhibits tumor metastasis.

Although mortality continues to decline over the past two decades, cancer is still a pervasive healthcare problem worldwide due to the increase in the number of cases, multidrug resistance (MDR) and metastasis. As a consequence of multidrug resistance, cancer treatment must rely on a host of chemotherapeutic agents and chemosensitizers to achieve remission. To overcome these problems, a series of biodegradable triblock copolymers of PEG, guanidinium-functionalized polycarbonate and polylactide (PEG-PGCx-PDLAy) is designed as chemotherapeutic agents. These copolymers self-assemble into micellar nanoparticles, and are highly effective against various cancer cell lines including human breast cancer (BCap37), liver cancer (HepG2), lung cancer (A549) and epidermoid carcinoma (A431) cell lines as well as MDR Bats-72 and Bads-200 cancer cells that were developed from BCap37. Multiple treatments with the polymers at sub-lethal doses do not induce resistance. The polymers kill cancer cells by a non-apoptotic mechanism with significant vacuolization and subsequent membrane disruption. In vivo antitumor efficacy is evaluated in a metastatic 4T1 subcutaneous tumor model. Treatment with stereocomplexes of PEG-PGC43-PLLA19 and PEG-PGC43-PDLA20 at a dose of 20 mg/kg of mouse body weight suppresses tumor growth and inhibits tumor metastasis in vivo. These polymers show promise in the treatment of cancer without the onset of resistance.

Antimicrobial polymers as therapeutics for treatment of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection.

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is one of the most common pathogens in hospital-acquired infections. It is often resistant to multiple antibiotics (including carbapenems), and can cause severe pneumonia. In search of effective antimicrobials, we recently developed polyionenes that were demonstrated to be potent against a broad-spectrum of microbes in vitro. In this study, polyionenes containing rigid amide bonds were synthesized to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae lung infection. The polyionene exhibited broad-spectrum activity against clinically-isolated MDR bacteria with low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). It also demonstrated stronger antimicrobial activity against 20 clinical strains of K. pneumoniae and more rapid killing kinetics than imipenem and other commonly used antibiotics. Multiple treatments with imipenem and gentamycin led to drug resistance in K. pneumoniae, while repeated use of the polymer did not cause resistance development due to its membrane-disruption antimicrobial mechanism. Additionally, the polymer showed potent anti-biofilm activity. In a MDR K. pneumoniae lung infection mouse model, the polymer demonstrated lower effective dose than imipenem with negligible systemic toxicity. The polymer treatment significantly alleviated lung injury, markedly reduced K. pneumoniae counts in the blood and major organs, and decreased mortality. Given its potent in vivo antimicrobial activity, negligible toxicity and ability of mitigating resistance development, the polyionene may be used to treat MDR K. pneumoniae lung infection. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is one of the most common pathogens in hospital-acquired infections, is often resistant to multiple antibiotics including carbapenems and can cause severe pneumonia. In this study, we report synthesis of antimicrobial polymers (polyionenes) and their use as antimicrobial agents for treatment of K. pneumoniae-caused pneumonia. The polymers have broad spectrum antibacterial activity against clinically isolated MDR bacteria, and eliminate MDR K. pneumoniae more effectively and rapidly than clinically used antibiotics. The polymer treatment also provides higher survival rate and faster bacterial removal from the major organs and the blood than the antibiotics. Repeated use of the polymer does not lead to resistance development. More importantly, at the therapeutic dose, the polymer treatment does not cause acute toxicity. Given its in vivo efficacy and negligible toxicity, the polymer is a promising candidate for the treatment of MDR K. pneumoniae-caused pneumonia.

Broad Spectrum Macromolecular Antimicrobials with Biofilm Disruption Capability and In Vivo Efficacy.

In this study, antimicrobial polymers are synthesized by the organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization of an eight-membered heterocyclic carbonate monomer that is subsequently quaternized with methyl iodide. These polymers demonstrate activity against clinically relevant Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and fungus Candida albicans with fast killing kinetics. Importantly, the polymer efficiently inhibits biofilm growth and lyses existing biofilm, leading to a reduction in biomass and cell viability. In addition, the macromolecular antimicrobial is less likely to induce resistance as it acts via a membrane-lytic mechanism. The polymer is not cytotoxic toward mammalian cells with LD50 of 99.0 ± 11.6 mg kg-1 in mice through i.v. injection. In an S. aureus blood stream infection mouse model, the polymer removes bacteria from the blood more rapidly than the antibiotic Augmentin. At the effective dose, the polymer treatment does not damage liver and kidney tissues or functions. In addition, blood electrolyte balance remains unchanged after the treatment. The low cost of starting materials, ease of synthesis, nontoxicity, broad spectrum activity with fast killing kinetics, and in vivo antimicrobial activity make these macromolecular antimicrobials ideal candidates for prevention of sepsis and treatment of infections.

Highly potent antimicrobial polyionenes with rapid killing kinetics, skin biocompatibility and in vivo bactericidal activity.

Effective antimicrobial agents are important arsenals in our perennial fight against communicable diseases, hospital-acquired and surgical site multidrug-resistant infections. In this study, we devise a strategy for the development of highly efficacious and skin compatible yet inexpensive water-soluble macromolecular antimicrobial polyionenes by employing a catalyst-free, polyaddition polymerization using commercially available monomers. A series of antimicrobial polyionenes are prepared through a simple polyaddition reaction with both polymer-forming reaction and charge installation occurring simultaneously. The compositions and structures of polymers are modulated to study their effects on antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic microbes. Polymers with optimized compositions have potent antimicrobial activity with low minimum inhibitory concentrations of 1.95-7.8 µg/mL and high selectivity over mammalian cells. In particular, a killing efficiency of more than 99.9% within 2 min is obtained. Moreover, the polymers demonstrate high antimicrobial efficacy against various clinically-isolated multidrug-resistant microbes, yet exhibit vastly superior skin biocompatibility in mice as compared to other clinically used surgical scrubs (chlorhexidine and betadine). Microbicidal activity of the polymer is mediated via membrane lysis as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. Unlike small molecular antibiotics, repeated use of the polymer does not induce drug resistance. More importantly, the polymer shows excellent bactericidal activity in a P. aeruginosa-contaminated mouse skin model. Given their rapid and efficacious microbicidal activity and skin compatibility, these polymers have tremendous potential to be developed as surgical scrubs/hand sanitizers to prevent multidrug-resistant infections.

Amphiphilic and Hydrophilic Block Copolymers from Aliphatic N-Substituted 8-Membered Cyclic Carbonates: A Versatile Macromolecular Platform for Biomedical Applications.

Introduction of hydrophilic components, particularly amines and zwitterions, onto a degradable polymer platform, while maintaining precise control over the polymer composition, has been a challenge. Recognizing the importance of these hydrophilic residues in multiple aspects of the nanobiomedicine field, herein, a straightforward synthetic route to access well-defined amphiphilic and hydrophilic degradable block copolymers from diethanolamine-derived functional eight-membered N-substituted aliphatic cyclic carbonates is reported. By this route, tertiary amine, secondary amine, and zwitterion residues can be incorporated across the polymer backbone. Demonstration of pH-responsiveness of these hydrophilic residues and their utility in the development of drug-delivery vehicles, catered for the specific requirements of respective model drugs (doxorubicin and diclofenac sodium salt) are shown. As hydrophilic components in degradable polymers play crucial roles in the biological interactions, these materials offers opportunities to expand the scope and applicability of aliphatic cyclic carbonates. Our approach to these functional polycarbonates will expand the range of biocompatible and biodegradable synthetic materials available for nanobiomedicine, including drug and gene delivery, antimicrobials, and hydrophilic polymers as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) alternatives.

Tuning the Selectivity of Biodegradable Antimicrobial Cationic Polycarbonates by Exchanging the Counter-Anion.

There is a growing interest in modern healthcare to develop systems able to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial cationic biodegradable polymers able to mimic antimicrobial peptides have shown to be effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In these systems, the hydrophilic-hydrophobic ratio and the cationic charge density play a pivotal role in defining the killing efficiency. Nevertheless, many of these antimicrobial polymers show relatively low selectivity as defined by the relative toxicity to mammalian cells or hemolysis relative to pathogens. In this study, a series of polycarbonates containing pendant quaternary ammoniums are used to understand the role of different counter-anions including chloride, citrate, malonate, benzoate, acetate, lactate and trifluoroacetate, and the antibiotic penicillin on antimicrobial efficacy and selectivity. Interestingly, it is found that in spite of the strong antimicrobial activity of trifluoroacetate and benzoate anions, they prove to be much less hemolytic than chloride anion. It is believed that the proper selection of the anion could enhance the potential of antimicrobial polymers to fight against clinically relevant pathogenic infections, while concurrently mitigating harmful side effects.

Thermoresponsive Random Poly(ether urethanes) with Tailorable LCSTs for Anticancer Drug Delivery.

A new class of thermoresponsive random polyurethanes is successfully synthesized and characterized. Poly(ethylene glycol) diol (Mn = 1500 Da) and 2,2-dimethylolpropionic acid are reacted with isophorone diisocyanate in the presence of methane sulfonic acid catalyst. It is found that these polyurethanes are thermoresponsive in aqueous media and manifest a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) that can be easily tuned from 30 °C to 70 °C by increasing the poly(ethylene glycol) content. Their sharp LCST transitions make these random polyurethanes ideal candidates for stimuli-responsive drug delivery applications. To that end, the ability of these systems to efficiently sequester doxorubicin (up to 36 wt%) by means of a sonication/dialysis method is successfully demonstrated. Additionally, it is also demonstrated that accelerated doxorubicin release kinetics from the nanoparticles can be attained above the LCST.

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial polycarbonate hydrogels with fast degradability.

In this study, a new family of broad-spectrum antimicrobial polycarbonate hydrogels has been successfully synthesized and characterized. Tertiary amine-containing eight-membered monofunctional and difunctional cyclic carbonates were synthesized, and chemically cross-linked polycarbonate hydrogels were obtained by copolymerizing these monomers with a poly(ethylene glycol)-based bifunctional initiator via organocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization using 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene catalyst. The gels were quaternized using methyl iodide to confer antimicrobial properties. Stable hydrogels were obtained only when the bifunctional monomer concentration was equal to or higher than 12 mol %. In vitro antimicrobial studies revealed that all quaternized hydrogels exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive), Escherichia coli (Gram-negative), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative), and Candida albicans (fungus), while the antimicrobial activity of the nonquaternized hydrogels was negligible. Moreover, the gels showed fast degradation at room temperature (4-6 days), which makes them ideal candidates for wound healing and implantable biomaterials.

Antimicrobial polycarbonates: investigating the impact of balancing charge and hydrophobicity using a same-centered polymer approach.

Biodegradable antimicrobial polymers are a promising solution for combating drug resistant microbes. When designing these materials, the balance between charge and hydrophobicity significantly affects the antimicrobial activity and selectivity toward microbes over mammalian cells. Furthermore, where the charge and hydrophobicity is located on the molecules has also proven to be significant. A series of antimicrobial homopolymer polycarbonates were synthesized, where the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance was controlled by varying the spacer between the charged quaternary ammonium moiety and the polymer backbone (a "same-centered" structure where the hydrophobic moiety is directly attached to the charged moiety). These homopolymers were active against all microbes tested but depending on the spacer length some hemolytic activity was observed. To reduce the polymer hemolytic activity we systematically varied the polymer composition by copolymerizing the different monomers used in the "same center" homopolymers. By maintaining charge on each repeat unit but copolymerizing monomers having varied hydrophobic side chain lengths, polymers with high activity and selectivity were achieved. In addition, these macromolecules act via a membrane disruption mechanism, making them less likely to induce resistance.

The effect of kinetic stability on biodistribution and anti-tumor efficacy of drug-loaded biodegradable polymeric micelles.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of kinetic stability on biodistribution and antitumor efficacy of drug-loaded biodegradable polymeric micelles. Four diblock copolymers of acid- and urea-functionalized polycarbonate (i.e. PAC and PUC) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with the same polycarbonate length and two different PEG molecular weights (Mn: 5 kDa and 10 kDa), i.e. 5K PEG-PAC, 10K PEG-PAC, 5K PEG-PUC and 10K PEG-PUC, were synthesized via organocatalytic living ring-opening polymerization using methoxy PEG as a macroinitiator. These polymers were employed to prepare 5K PEG-PAC/5K PEG-PUC and 10K PEG-PAC/10K PEG-PAC mixed micelles via urea-acid hydrogen bonding. An amine group-containing anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into the mixed micelles via a self-assembly process. DOX-loaded 5K and 10K PEG mixed micelles had particle sizes of 66 and 87 nm respectively with narrow size distribution (polydispersity index: 0.12), and DOX loading levels were 28.9 and 22.8% in weight. DOX-loaded 5K PEG mixed micelles had greater kinetic stability than DOX-loaded 10K PEG mixed micelles due to stronger hydrophobicity of 5K PEG block copolymers. The results of in vitro release studies showed that DOX release was sustained without obvious initial burst release. The DOX-loaded mixed micelles effectively suppressed the proliferation of HepG2 and 4T1 cells. The in vivo studies conducted in a 4T1 mouse breast cancer model demonstrated that the mixed micelles were preferably transported to the tumor with the 5K PEG mixed micelles accumulating in the tumor more rapidly to a larger extent than 10K PEG mixed micelles, and DOX-loaded 5K PEG mixed micelles with greater kinetic stability inhibited tumor growth more effectively than free DOX and DOX-loaded 10K PEG mixed micelles without causing significant body weight loss or cardiotoxicity. The 5K PEG mixed micelles with sizes below 100 nm and narrow size distribution as well as excellent kinetic stability holds great potential as a delivery carrier for amine group-containing anticancer drugs.

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial and biofilm-disrupting hydrogels: stereocomplex-driven supramolecular assemblies.

Fighting the resistance: biodegradable and injectable/moldable hydrogels with hierarchical nanostructures were made with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities and biofilm-disruption capability. They demonstrate no cytotoxicity in vitro, and show excellent skin biocompatibility in animals. These hydrogels have great potential for clinical use in prevention and treatment of various multidrug-resistant infections.

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial supramolecular assemblies with distinctive size and shape.

With the increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections, there is an urgent need for innovative antimicrobial treatments. One such area being actively explored is the use of self-assembling cationic polymers. This relatively new class of materials was inspired by biologically pervasive cationic host defense peptides. The antimicrobial action of both the synthetic polymers and naturally occurring peptides is believed to be complemented by their three-dimensional structure. In an effort to evaluate shape effects on antimicrobial materials, triblock polymers were polymerized from an assembly directing terephthalamide-bisurea core. Simple changes to this core, such as the addition of a methylene spacer, served to direct self-assembly into distinct morphologies-spheres and rods. Computational modeling also demonstrated how subtle core changes could directly alter urea stacking motifs manifesting in unique multidirectional hydrogen-bond networks despite the vast majority of material consisting of poly(lactide) (interior block) and cationic polycarbonates (exterior block). Upon testing the spherical and rod-like morphologies for antimicrobial properties, it was found that both possessed broad-spectrum activity (Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as fungi) with minimal hemolysis, although only the rod-like assemblies were effective against Candida albicans.

The role of non-covalent interactions in anticancer drug loading and kinetic stability of polymeric micelles.

A new series of acid- and urea-functionalized polycarbonate block copolymers were synthesized via organocatalytic living ring-opening polymerization using methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a macroinitiator to form micelles as drug delivery carriers. The micelles were characterized for critical micelle concentration, particle size and size distribution, kinetic stability and loading capacity for a model anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX) having an amine group. The acid/urea groups were placed in block forms (i.e. acid as the middle block or the end block) or randomly distributed in the polycarbonate block to investigate molecular structure effect. The micelles formed from the polymers in both random and block forms provided high drug loading capacity due to strong ionic interaction between the acid in the polymer and the amine in DOX. However, the polymers with acid and urea groups placed in the block forms formed micelles with wider size distribution (two size populations), and their DOX-loaded micelles were less stable. The number of acid/urea groups in the random form was further varied from 5 to 8, 13 and 19 to study its effects on self-assembly behaviors and DOX loading. An increased number of acid/urea groups yielded DOX-loaded micelles with smaller size and enhanced kinetic stability because of improved inter-molecular polycarbonate-polycarbonate (urea-urea and urea-acid) hydrogen-bonding and polycarbonate-DOX (acid-amine) ionic interactions. However, when the number of acid/urea groups was 13 or higher, micelles aggregated in a serum-containing medium, and freeze-dried DOX-loaded micelles were unable to re-disperse in an aqueous solution. Among all the polymers synthesized in this study, 1b with 8 acid/urea groups in the random form had the optimum properties. In vitro release studies showed that DOX release from 1b micelles was sustained over 7 h without significant initial burst release. MTT assays demonstrated that the polymer was not toxic towards HepG2 and HEK293 cells. Importantly, DOX-loaded micelles were potent against HepG2 cells with IC(50) of 0.26 mg/L, comparable to that of free DOX (IC(50): 0.20 mg/L). In addition, DOX-loaded 1b micelles yielded lower DOX content in the heart tissue of the tested mice as compared to free DOX formulation after i.v. injection. These findings signify that 1b micelles may be a promising carrier for delivery of anticancer drugs that contain amine groups.

Thermoresponsive nanostructured polycarbonate block copolymers as biodegradable therapeutic delivery carriers.

Water-soluble, thermoresponsive block copolymers based on a biodegradable platform were synthesized by the ring opening polymerization of cyclic carbonate monomers functionalized with hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups for application as nanocarriers in medicine. The approach based on cyclic carbonate monomers derived from 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid (bis-MPA) allowed a simple and versatile route to functional monomers capable of undergoing ring opening polymerization (ROP). The resulting polymers possessed the predicted molecular weights based on the molar ratio between monomers to initiators and the narrow molecular weight distributions. Transmittance measurement for aqueous polymer solutions provided an evidence for temperature-responsiveness with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in the range of 36 °C-60 °C, depending on the molecular weight of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains, compositions of copolymers, molar ratios of hydrophilic to hydrophobic monomers in the corona, and the hydrophobic core. This study showed synthetic advancement toward the design and preparation of biodegradable thermoresponsive polymers with extremely low CMC values for injectable drug delivery systems. TRC350-10,30,60, which possessed an LCST of 36 °C in PBS, was identified as a useful model polymer. Paclitaxel, an anti-cancer drug, was loaded into the micelles efficiently, giving rise to nano-sized particles with a narrow size distribution. Paclitaxel release from the micelles was faster, and cellular uptake of the micelles was higher at the body temperature (i.e. 37 °C) as compared to a temperature below the LCST. While the polymer was not cytotoxic, paclitaxel-loaded micelles killed HepG2 human liver carcinoma cells more efficiently at the body temperature as compared to free paclitaxel and paclitaxel-loaded micelles at the temperature below the LCST. These micelles are ideally suited to deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumor tissues through local injection.

Biodegradable nanostructures with selective lysis of microbial membranes.

Macromolecular antimicrobial agents such as cationic polymers and peptides have recently been under an increased level of scrutiny because they can combat multi-drug-resistant microbes. Most of these polymers are non-biodegradable and are designed to mimic the facially amphiphilic structure of peptides so that they may form a secondary structure on interaction with negatively charged microbial membranes. The resulting secondary structure can insert into and disintegrate the cell membrane after recruiting additional polymer molecules. Here, we report the first biodegradable and in vivo applicable antimicrobial polymer nanoparticles synthesized by metal-free organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization of functional cyclic carbonate. We demonstrate that the nanoparticles disrupt microbial walls/membranes selectively and efficiently, thus inhibiting the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and fungi, without inducing significant haemolysis over a wide range of concentrations. These biodegradable nanoparticles, which can be synthesized in large quantities and at low cost, are promising as antimicrobial drugs, and can be used to treat various infectious diseases such as MRSA-associated infections, which are often linked with high mortality.