DESIGN & SYNTHESIS OF BIODEGRADABLE POLYCARBONATES AS MACROMOLECULAR ANTI-MICROBIALS

Abstract

The prevalence of drug-resistant microbes is an eminent health issue facing society today. Exacerbated by the recent decline in new antibiotics, there is a dire need for novel classes of antimicrobials to be developed, particularly with alternative modes of action that exhibit reduced propensity towards resistance development. Herein, a rational ‘same centered’ design strategy to develop different classes of biodegradable polycarbonates as potent and highly selective macromolecular antimicrobials will be discussed in this thesis. In our primary interest towards in vivo applications, two series of cationic polycarbonates bearing quaternary ammonium and guanidinium moieties respectively were successfully developed via a judicious and systematic structure-activity study. It was demonstrated that nuanced modifications in the chemical structure of these polymers were sufficient to incite dramatic changes in their biological properties. To further extend their utility for practical antimicrobial applications, a series of polyguanidinium-coated silica particles was also developed as an effective platform for expeditious water disinfection.