Biosourced Functional Hydroxybenzoate-co-Lactide Polymers with Antimicrobial Activity.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Synthetic Biology
• Antimicrobial Research

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance is a critical global health threat.
• Bioderived molecules offer potential for developing new antimicrobial agents.
• Degradable polymers with antimicrobial activity are needed for medical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a library of benzoate-lactide-based polymers with antimicrobial activity.
• To evaluate the efficacy of these polymers against Staphylococcus aureus and their biofilm disruption capabilities.
• To assess the biocompatibility and degradability of the synthesized polymers.

Main Methods:

• Heterologous production and purification of monomer precursors from engineered fungi.
• Chemical modification of monomers and ring-closure to form benzo[e][1,4]dioxepine-2,5(3H)-diones.
• Ring-opening polymerization using a specific catalytic system and initiator, with varying monomer/initiator ratios.
• Antimicrobial testing against Staphylococcus aureus, biofilm disruption assays, in vitro biocompatibility, and degradability studies.

Main Results:

• A library of 4-(methyl/allyl/benzyl)oxy-6-(H/alkyl)-2-oxy-benzoate-co-lactide-based polymers was synthesized.
• Identified polymers demonstrated potent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.
• The polymers were effective in disrupting Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.
• The synthesized polymers exhibited good in vitro biocompatibility and confirmed degradability.

Conclusions:

• The combination of synthetic biology and chemistry enables the production of functional, degradable polymers.
• These novel polymers show significant potential as potent inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus.
• The developed polymers hold promise for future medical applications in combating bacterial infections.