Antibacterial polymers - a mini review

Abstract

Multidrug resistance of pathogenic bacteria is a major health concern. Deterioration in the discovery of novel antibiotics exacerbates the situation even further. Antimicrobial polymers could have a significant role in this global effort to fight back this problem. This review paper focuses on the recent advances in the synthesis of membrane-active antimicrobial polymers, their classification and mode of action. Amphiphilic antimicrobial polymers, which are synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides, have received much attention as they have lower susceptibility for developing resistance than other small molecular antibiotics. In addition, control over their structural parameters – like hydrophobicity/ hydrophilicity balance, cationicity, molecular weight, functional groups, degree of polymerization, chain length – may enhance their antimicrobial activities while minimizing toxicity to mammalian cells.