A Simple Mannose-Coated Poly (p-Phenylene Ethynylene) for Qualitative Bacterial Capturing.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Selective bacterial detection is crucial for diagnostics and public health.
• Existing methods may lack specificity or sensitivity for certain bacterial strains.
• Functionalized polymers offer potential for targeted molecular recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a mannose-functionalized polymer for selective bacteria detection.
• To evaluate the polymer's ability to detect Escherichia coli (E. coli) through polyvalent interactions.
• To determine the optimal conditions for polymer-bacteria binding and detection.

Main Methods:

• Rational design and synthesis of a mannose-functionalized poly(p-phenylene ethynylene).
• Modification of the polymer with aminoethyl mannose via carboxylic acid functionalization.
• Incubation of the polymer with E. coli and measurement of fluorescence intensity to assess binding and detection.
• Evaluation of the interaction with E. coli expressing FimH mannose-specific lectin.

Main Results:

• The mannose-functionalized polymer successfully formed fluorescent bacteria aggregates with E. coli via polyvalent interactions.
• The polymer demonstrated specific binding to E. coli expressing FimH lectin, confirming functional sugar-unit interaction.
• Optimal binding and detection were achieved within 30 minutes of incubation.
• The system detected bacteria at concentrations as low as 10³ CFU mL⁻¹.

Conclusions:

• A mannose-functionalized polymer enables selective and sensitive fluorescent detection of E. coli.
• The polymer's design leverages polyvalent interactions for efficient bacterial capture and signaling.
• This approach shows promise for rapid bacterial identification and quantification in various applications.