Premium
Size and Substitution Effect on Antimicrobial Activity of Polythiophene Polyelectrolyte Derivatives Under Photolysis and Dark Conditions
Author(s) -
Brown Dylan M.,
Yang Jianzhong,
Strach Edward W.,
Khalil Mohammed I.,
Whitten David G.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/php.13013
Subject(s) - cationic polymerization , polythiophene , photodissociation , chemistry , amine gas treating , antimicrobial , photochemistry , reactive oxygen species , flow cytometry , tertiary amine , escherichia coli , polymer , biophysics , organic chemistry , biochemistry , conductive polymer , biology , gene , genetics
Cationic polythiophenes have been shown to be potent antimicrobial compounds due to their ability to absorb visible light and sensitize the production of reactive oxygen species ( ROS ) as well as their ability to selectively associate with and damage negatively charged cell envelopes. This study demonstrates the ability of differentially sized imidazolium‐ and tertiary amine‐functionalized poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3 HT ) to inactivate Gram‐negative Escherichia coli and Gram‐positive Bacillus atrophaeus under photolysis and dark conditions. Flow cytometry viability assays are used to quantify cell death. Each compound shows high levels of killing at both 1 and 10 μg mL −1 polymer concentrations for each microbial species after photoactivation as well as high levels of dark inactivation in many cases. Tertiary amine‐functionalized P3 HT is shown to have different killing patterns, shown by transmission electron microscopy, compared to the imidazolium‐functionalized derivatives.