Ferrocene‐Grafted Polyethyleneimines, Stimuli Responsive Macromolecules with Antimicrobial Properties

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The widespread resistance of pathogenic bacteria to current antimicrobial drugs poses a serious challenge to modern civilization and stimulates the search for novel antibacterial agents. In this work, we investigated a series of stimuli‐responsive polymers with antibacterial properties, aiming to modulate the agent's bioactivity through external redox stimuli. The polymers were prepared via reductive amination, resulting in the grafting of ferrocene onto linear polyethyleneimine (L‐PEI). The resulting series varied in molecular weight and degree of functionalization. The redox behavior of the L‐PEI‐grafted ferrocene moieties was confirmed using UV–vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The antimicrobial activity of each material was first assessed by determining the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against three model organisms: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Redox‐modulated antimicrobial activity experiments revealed an unexpected outcome. The oxidized form of L‐PEI‐Fc increased the survivability of E. coli compared to various control runs. These experiments were conducted in a nutrient‐depleted environment, and the observed effect is likely related to improved iron transport facilitated by the polymer.

This publication has 91 references indexed in Scilit: