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Immobilized N ‐alkylated polyethylenimine avidly kills bacteria by rupturing cell membranes with no resistance developed
Author(s) -
Milović Nebojša M.,
Wang Jun,
Lewis Kim,
Klibanov Alexander M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.20454
Subject(s) - polyethylenimine , bacteria , membrane , bacterial cell structure , escherichia coli , chemistry , covalent bond , microbiology and biotechnology , staphylococcus aureus , biochemistry , biophysics , biology , organic chemistry , transfection , genetics , gene
Several critical mechanistic and phenomenological aspects of the microbicidal surface coatings based on immobilized hydrophobic polycations, previously developed by us, are addressed. Using Escherichia coli (Gram‐negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram‐positive) bacteria, remarkable bactericidal action (up to a 10 9 ‐fold reduction in live bacteria count in the surface‐exposed solution and a 100% inactivation of the surface‐adhered bacteria) of an amino‐glass slide covalently derivatized with N ‐hexyl,methyl‐polyethylenimine (PEI) is found to be due to rupturing bacterial cell membranes by the polymeric chains. The bacteria fail to develop noticeable resistance to this lethal action over the course of many successive generations. Finally, the immobilized N ‐alkyl‐PEI, while deadly to bacteria, is determined to be harmless to mammalian (monkey kidney) cells. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.