Polymers with antimicrobial functionalities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11058110-B2
Application number	US-202016829370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

Techniques regarding polymers with antimicrobial functionality are provided. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can regard a polymer, which can comprise a repeating ionene unit. The repeating ionene unit can comprise a cation distributed along a degradable backbone. The degradable backbone can comprise a terephthalamide structure. Further, the repeating ionene unit can have antimicrobial functionality.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for killing a pathogen, comprising:
contacting the pathogen with a polymer, wherein the polymer comprises a repeating ionene unit comprising a cation distributed along a degradable backbone, the degradable backbone comprising a terephthalamide structure; and
killing the pathogen based on the contacting, wherein the contacting the pathogen with the polymer electrostatically disrupts a membrane of the pathogen, and wherein the repeating ionene unit has a structure characterized by Formula 1:

wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to two and less than or equal to one thousand.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pathogen is selected from the group consisting of a Gram-negative microbe, a Gram-positive microbe, a fungi and yeast.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
attracting the polymer to a cell of the pathogen via an electrostatic interaction between the cation and a phospholipid bilayer membrane of the cell.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
destabilizing an integrity of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by inserting a hydrophobic functional group of the polymer into a hydrophobic region of the phospholipid bilayer membrane.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
cleaving a negatively charged portion of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by inserting a hydrophobic functional group of the polymer into a hydrophobic region of the phospholipid bilayer membrane; and
moving the negatively charged portion away from an adjacent portion of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by the electrostatic interaction.

6. A method for inhibiting growth of a microbe, comprising:
attracting a polymer to the microbe via an electrostatic interaction between a cation of the polymer and a phospholipid bilayer membrane of the microbe; and
inhibiting a growth of the microbe by lysis induced by the polymer, wherein the polymer comprises a repeating ionene unit having the cation and a hydrophobic functional group distributed along a degradable backbone, the degradable backbone comprising a terephthalamide structure, and wherein the repeating ionene unit has a structure characterized by Formula 1:

wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to two and less than or equal to one thousand.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
destabilizing an integrity of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by inserting the hydrophobic functional group into a hydrophobic region of the phospholipid bilayer membrane.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
cleaving a negatively charged portion of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by inserting the hydrophobic functional group into a hydrophobic region of the phospholipid bilayer membrane; and
moving the negatively charged portion away from an adjacent portion of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by the electrostatic interaction.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the microbe is selected from the group consisting of a Gram-negative microbe, a Gram-positive microbe, a fungi and yeast.

10. A method for inhibiting growth of microbe, comprising:
attracting a polymer to the microbe via an electrostatic interaction between a cation of the polymer and a phospholipid bilayer membrane of the microbe; and
destabilizing an integrity of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by inserting a hydrophobic functional group of the polymer into a hydrophobic region of the phospholipid bilayer membrane, wherein the polymer comprises a repeating ionene unit having the cation and the hydrophobic functional group distributed along a degradable backbone, and wherein the repeating ionene unit has a structure characterized by Formula 1:

wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to two and less than or equal to one thousand.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
cleaving a negatively charged portion of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by the inserting the hydrophobic functional group; and
moving the negatively charged portion away from an adjacent portion of the phospholipid bilayer membrane by the electrostatic interaction.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the microbe is selected from the group consisting of a Gram-negative microbe, a Gram-positive microbe, a fungi and yeast.

Assignees

• IBM
• Agency Science Tech & Res

Inventors

• Fevre Mareva B
• Hedrick James L
• Park Nathaniel H
• Piunova Victoria A
• Tan Pang Kern Jeremy
• Yang Chuan
• Yang Yi Yan

Classifications

• A01N43/50 Primary

  1,3-Diazoles; Hydrogenated 1,3-diazoles · CPC title

• A01N37/22 Primary

  the nitrogen atom being directly attached to an aromatic ring system, e.g. anilides · CPC title

• A01N33/12

  Quaternary ammonium compounds · CPC title

• C08G69/00

  Macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic amide link in the main chain of the macromolecule (products obtained from isocyanates or isothiocyanates C08G18/00; polyamide-imides C08G73/14) · CPC title

• C08G73/0293 Primary

  Quaternisation of polyamidoamines · CPC title