Thermally switchable polymers achieve controlled Escherichia coli detachment

Single-Cell Tracking on Polymer Microarrays Reveals the Impact of Surface Chemistry on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Twitching Speed and Biofilm Development

Bacterial biofilms exhibit up to 1000 times greater resistance to antibiotic or host immune clearance than planktonic cells. Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces retractable type IV pili (T4P) that facilitate twitching motility on surfaces. The deployment of pili is one of the first responses of bacteria to surface interactions and because of their ability to contribute to cell surface adhesion and biofilm formation, this has relevance to medical device-associated infections. While polymer chemistry is known to influence biofilm development, its impact on twitching motility is not understood. Here, we combine a polymer microarray format with time-lapse automated microscopy to simultaneously assess P. aeruginosa twitching motility on 30 different methacrylate/acrylate polymers over 60 min post inoculation using a high-throughput system. During this critical initial period where the decision to form a biofilm is thought to occur, similar numbers of bacterial cells accumulate on each polymer. Twitching motility is observed on all polymers irrespective of their chemistry and physical surface properties, in contrast to the differential biofilm formation noted after 24 h of incubation. However, on the microarray polymers, P. aeruginosa cells twitch at significantly different speeds, ranging from 5 to ∼13 nm/s, associated with crawling or walking and are distinguishable from the different cell surface tilt angles observed. Chemometric analysis using partial least-squares (PLS) regression identifies correlations between surface chemistry, as measured by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and both biofilm formation and single-cell twitching speed. The relationships between surface chemistry and these two responses are different for each process. There is no correlation between polymer surface stiffness and roughness as determined by atomic force measurement (AFM), or water contact angle (WCA), and twitching speed or biofilm formation. This reinforces the dominant and distinct contributions of material surface chemistry to twitching speed and biofilm formation.

Light controllable surface coating for effective photothermal killing of bacteria

Although the electronic properties of conducting films have been widely explored in optoelectronic fields, the optical absorption abilities of surface-coated films for photothermal conversion have been relatively less explored in the production of antibacterial coatings. Here, we present catechol-conjugated poly(vinylpyrrolidone) sulfobetaine (PVPS) and polyaniline (PANI) tightly linked by ionic interaction (PVPS:PANI) as a novel photothermal antibacterial agent for surface coating, which can absorb broadband near-infrared (NIR) light. Taking advantage of the NIR light absorption, this coating film can release eminent photothermal heat for the rapid killing of surface bacteria. The NIR light triggers a sharp rise in photothermal heat, providing the rapid and effective killing of 99.9% of the Gram-positive and -negative bacteria tested within 3 min of NIR light exposure when used at the concentration of 1 mg/mL. Although considerable progress has been made in the design of antibacterial coatings, the user control of NIR-irradiated rapid photothermal destruction of surface bacteria holds increasing attention beyond the traditional boundaries of typical antibacterial surfaces.

Bacterial attachment to polymeric materials correlates with molecular flexibility and hydrophilicity

A new class of material resistant to bacterial attachment has been discovered that is formed from polyacrylates with hydrocarbon pendant groups. In this study, the relationship between the nature of the hydrocarbon moiety and resistance to bacteria is explored, comparing cyclic, aromatic, and linear chemical groups. A correlation is shown between bacterial attachment and a parameter derived from the partition coefficient and the number of rotatable bonds of the materials' pendant groups. This correlation is applicable to 86% of the hydrocarbon pendant moieties surveyed, quantitatively supporting the previous qualitative observation that bacteria are repelled from poly(meth)acrylates containing a hydrophilic ester group when the pendant group is both rigid and hydrophobic. This insight will help inform and predict the further development of polymers resistant to bacterial attachment.