Light-responsive polymers with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties

The emergence of resistant bacteria is one of the major challenges in modern medicine. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was used for the preparation of star-shaped antimicrobial polymers. The polymers were specifically designed to exhibit two modes of antimicrobial action: (i) bacterial membrane disruption and (ii) photodynamic inactivation (PDI). For the membrane disruption, poly(dimethylamine ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) was used while the PDI character was attributed due to the presence of the curcumin. The polymers showed narrow molar mass distribution with an average particle size of 8 nm. Antimicrobial tests showed a minimum inhibitory concentration of 2 µm. L-1 against Escherichia coli.