A Dual-Template Molecularly Imprinted Polymer to Inhibit Quorum Sensing Molecules: Theoretical Design, Optimized...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Microbiology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Bacterial communication, regulated by quorum sensing autoinducers, is crucial for biofilm formation and infections.
• Conventional antimicrobial therapies face challenges like resistance, necessitating alternative strategies.
• Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) show potential for selective biomolecule recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize MIPs for capturing autoinducer-2 analogs.
• To evaluate MIPs as a strategy to disrupt bacterial communication and combat biofilm-associated infections.
• To explore MIPs as a non-antibiotic alternative to conventional antimicrobial treatments.

Main Methods:

• Employed single-template and dual-template strategies using specific autoinducer-2 analogs as templates.
• Utilized computational modeling for rational monomer selection and prediction of template-polymer interactions.
• Synthesized and characterized MIPs using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.
• Assessed adsorption capacity, selectivity, and microbiological inhibition of violacein production.

Main Results:

• MIPs exhibited higher adsorption capacity and selectivity for autoinducer-2 analogs compared to non-imprinted polymers.
• MIPs fabricated from methacrylic acid showed selectivity ratios of 3.36 for T1 and 3.14 for T2.
• MIPs prepared from 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate inhibited violacein production by up to 78.2%, indicating quorum sensing interference.
• Computational modeling predicted favorable interaction energies, guiding MIP design.

Conclusions:

• Molecular imprinting is a feasible strategy for targeting autoinducer-2 analogs and disrupting bacterial communication.
• MIPs can be developed as potent quorum-sensing inhibitors.
• This approach offers translational potential as a complementary or non-antibiotic strategy against biofilm-associated infections.