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Antimicrobial and Anti‐Biofilm Activities of Surface Engineered Polycationic Albumin Nanoparticles with Reduced Hemolytic Activity
Author(s) -
Obuobi Sybil,
Wang Ying,
Khara Jasmeet Singh,
Riegger Andreas,
Kuan Seah Ling,
Ee Pui Lai Rachel
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.201800196
Subject(s) - antimicrobial , peg ratio , chemistry , polyethylene glycol , pegylation , biocompatibility , human serum albumin , drug delivery , albumin , in vivo , polyelectrolyte , biofilm , surface plasmon resonance , nanoparticle , microbiology and biotechnology , biophysics , bacteria , biochemistry , nanotechnology , materials science , biology , polymer , organic chemistry , genetics , finance , economics
Protein‐based polymeric polyelectrolytes are emerging as alternative synthetic nanoparticles owing to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, potential in vivo toxicity remains a significant challenge. Herein an array of protein polyelectrolytes generated from cationic human serum albumin (cHSA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are synthesized via synthetic customization as antimicrobials for the treatment of systemic infections. By varying PEG molecular weight and chain length, in vitro hemolytic activity can be fine‐tuned without significantly affecting antimicrobial potency. The optimal hybrid material, PEG (2000) 18 ‐cHSA, with potent antimicrobial character, low hemolytic activity, and in vitro biofilm disruptive properties is identified. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) evaluation demonstrates significantly higher binding activity of the protein nanoparticles to bacteria cell wall components and microfluidic live‐cell imaging indicates that the nanoparticles act through a membranolytic mechanism. Given their low susceptibility to drug resistance and potent activity against resistant bacteria strains, these findings establish the PEGylated albumin nanoparticles as a potent weaponry against drug resistance and biofilm‐related infection.