Self-Assembly of Catecholic Moiety-Containing Cationic Random Acrylic Copolymers

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Materials Chemistry
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Amphiphilic polyelectrolytes (APEs) possess self-association properties in aqueous media.
• Their micellar structure is crucial for applications like drug delivery systems.
• The balance between hydrophobic and ionizable units dictates APE structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the structure and self-assembly of amphiphilic cationic random copolymers.
• To compare copolymer structures with a cationic homopolymer.
• To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of synthesized copolymers.

Main Methods:

• Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
• (1)H NMR analysis
• Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements
• Electrical conductivity measurements

Main Results:

• MD simulations revealed chain folding in water, increasing with hydrophobicity due to interactions between amine groups and aromatic rings.
• The p(AcDED-co-AcHTy) 70/30 copolymer exhibited a strong tendency for self-assembly into flower-like micelles.
• Catecholic group stacking reduced copolymer size and charge density, particularly for p(AcDED-co-AcHTy) 70/30.
• All copolymers demonstrated good antimicrobial activity, with p(AcDED-co-AcHTy) 70/30 showing a significant reduction in minimum inhibitory concentration.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized amphiphilic copolymers self-assemble into micelles in aqueous solutions.
• Introducing hydrophobic catecholic groups enhances self-assembly and antimicrobial properties.
• The p(AcDED-co-AcHTy) 70/30 copolymer shows promise for applications requiring effective antimicrobial activity.