Chee, P. L., Owh, C., Venkatesh, M., Periayah, M. H., Zhang, Z., Michelle Yew, P. Y., … Loh, X. J. (2021). Cationic Lignin-Based Hyperbranched Polymers to Circumvent Drug Resistance in Pseudomonas Keratitis. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 7(9), 4659–4668. doi:10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00856
Abstract:
The rise of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria strains has been a global public health concern due to their ability to cause
increased patient morbidity and a greater burden on the healthcare system. As one of the potential solutions to overcome such
bacterial infections, hyperbranched copolymers with cationic charges were developed. These copolymers were assessed for their
antimicrobial efficacy and their bactericidal mechanisms. They were found to be potent against mobile colistin-resistant 1 strains,
which was significant as colistin is known to be the last-resort antibiotic against Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, there was no sign of mutational resistance developed by E. Coli ATCC 25922 and MCR 1+ E. Coli against the copolymer even up to 20 passages. The ability to evade inducing resistance would provide invaluable insights for future antibiotic development. Our studies suggest that the bactericidal efficacy comes from the ability to target the outer membrane efficaciously. In vivo study using a Pseudomonas keratitis
model showed that the copolymer was compatible with the eye and further supported that the copolymer treatment was effective for complete bacteria elimination.
License type:
Publisher Copyright
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Ministry of Health, National Medical Research Council - Centre Grant Programme - Optimization of Core Platform Technologies for Ocular Research (INCEPTOR)
Grant Reference no. : NMRC/CG/M010/2017_SERI
This research / project is supported by the SingHealth Foundation - Research Grant
Grant Reference no. : SHF/FG663P/ 2017