Antibacterial Activity of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes with Variable Chain Lengths

Cationic poly(phenylene ethynylene)- (PPE-) based conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) with six different chain lengths ranging in degree of polymerization from similar to 7 to similar to 49 were synthesized from organic-soluble precursor polymers. The molecular weight of the precursor polymers was controlled by the amount of a monofunctional "end-capping" agent added to the polymerization reaction. Cationic CPEs were prepared by quaternization of amine groups to tetraalkylammonium groups. Their structure-property relationships were investigated by observing their photophysical properties and antibacterial activity. The polymers were found to exhibit a chain-length dependence in their photophysical properties. It has also been observed that the polymers exhibit effective antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria under UV irradiation, whereas they show little antibacterial activity in the dark. An effect of chain length on the light-activated antibacterial activity was also found: The shortest polymer (n = 7) exhibited the most effective antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.