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Poly(hexamethylene guanidine): An Effective Compound in Tackling Persistent Bacterial Subpopulations

Weilin Liu1, Jiang Zhang2, Liang Chen1

  • 1College of Bioengineering, Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100176, China.

Microorganisms
|September 27, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Poly(hexamethylene guanidine) (PHMG) shows strong antibacterial effects against persistent bacteria, which cause difficult-to-treat infections. This study provides a new library of cationic polymers for combating these resilient bacterial populations.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Polymer Science
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Persistent bacteria (PB) are dormant cells that tolerate antibiotics, causing chronic infections and posing a global health threat.
  • Developing novel strategies to eliminate PB is crucial for treating recalcitrant infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of six cationic polymers against persistent bacteria.
  • To establish structure-activity relationships for designing effective anti-persistent materials.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic evaluation of six cationic polymers against persistent methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Escherichia coli (E. coli).
  • Determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) using microbroth dilution.
  • Cytotoxicity assessment against mouse fibroblast (L929) cells via MTT assay.

Main Results:

  • Poly(hexamethylene guanidine) (PHMG) exhibited superior antibacterial activity, with MBC values as low as 2 μg/mL against persistent MSSA.
  • Other tested cationic polymers showed less efficacy compared to PHMG.
  • Structure-activity relationship analysis revealed correlations between polymer charge density, hydrophobic segments, and antimicrobial efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • PHMG is a highly effective agent against persistent bacteria.
  • This study presents the first library of cationic polymers for targeting persistent bacteria, offering potential strategies for recalcitrant infections.
  • Quantitative structure-activity relationships provide a basis for rational design of novel anti-persistent materials.
Keywords:
antibacterial performanceantibiotic resistancecationic polymerspersistent bacteriapoly(hexamethylene guanidine)

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