Effect of multifunctional cationic polymer coatings on mitigation of broad microbial pathogens.

Infection control measures to prevent viral and bacterial infection spread are critical to maintaining a healthy environment. Pathogens such as viruses and pyogenic bacteria can cause infectious complications. Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 are known to spread through the aerosol route and on fomite surfaces, lasting for a prolonged time in the environment. Developing technologies to mitigate the spread of pathogens through airborne routes and on surfaces is critical, especially for patients at high risk for infectious complications. Multifunctional coatings with a broad capacity to bind pathogens that result in inactivation can disrupt infectious spread through aerosol and inanimate surface spread. This study uses C-POLAR, a proprietary cationic, polyamine, organic polymer with a charged, dielectric property coated onto air filtration material and textiles. Using both SARS-CoV-2 live viral particles and bovine coronavirus models, C-POLAR-treated material shows a dramatic 2-log reduction in circulating viral inoculum. This reduction is consistent in a static room model, indicating simple airflow through a static C-POLAR hanging can capture significant airborne particles. Finally, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are applied to C-POLAR textiles using a viability indicator to demonstrate eradication on fomite surfaces. These data suggest that a cationic polymer surface can capture and eradicate human pathogens, potentially interrupting the infectious spread for a more resilient environment. IMPORTANCE: Infection control is critical for maintaining a healthy home, work, and hospital environment. We test a cationic polymer capable of capturing and eradicating viral and bacterial pathogens by applying the polymer to the air filtration material and textiles. The data suggest that the simple addition of cationic material can result in the improvement of an infectious resilient environment against viral and bacterial pathogens.

Block Synthesis and Step-Growth Polymerization of C-6-Sulfonatomethyl-Containing Sulfated Malto-Oligosaccharides and Their Biological Profiling.

Highly sulfated malto-oligomers, similar to heparin and heparan-sulfate, have good antiviral, antimetastatic, anti-inflammatory and cell growth inhibitory effects. Due to their broad biological activities and simple structure, sulfated malto-oligomer derivatives have a great therapeutic potential, therefore, the development of efficient synthesis methods for their production is of utmost importance. In this work, preparation of α-(1→4)-linked oligoglucosides containing a sulfonatomethyl moiety at position C-6 of each glucose unit was studied by different approaches. Malto-oligomeric sulfonic acid derivatives up to dodecasaccharides were prepared by polymerization using different protecting groups, and the composition of the product mixtures was analyzed by MALDI-MS methods and size-exclusion chromatography. Synthesis of lower oligomers was also accomplished by stepwise and block synthetic methods, and then the oligosaccharide products were persulfated. The antiviral, anti-inflammatory and cell growth inhibitory activity of the fully sulfated malto-oligosaccharide sulfonic acids were determined by in vitro tests. Four tested di- and trisaccharide sulfonic acids effectively inhibited the activation of the TNF-α-mediated inflammatory pathway without showing cytotoxicity.