Synthesis of Polymers Containing Sulfonium Ions for Antibacterial Applications

The prevalence of quaternary ammonium salts as antibacterial agents for the past century has led bacteria to develop resistance against such nitrogen-based cationic materials. Therefore, new cationic motifs are required to combat the emerging bacterial resistance. A particularly attractive alternative is trivalent sulfonium salts. In this project, we seek to prepare materials containing sulfonium cations in their backbone. In addition, we plan to incorporate ester groups in the structure to achieve biodegradability. Once synthesized, we plan to study their hemolytic nature against mammalian red blood cells and antibacterial properties against Gram-positive E. coli and Gram-negative S. aureus. We are also interested in studying antibacterial properties against M. Smegmatis which is a model organism to develop drugs against rapidly spreading tuberculosis (TB) infections. An overarching goal of this project, therefore, is to gain a deeper understanding of the potential of non-ammonium antibacterial agents in the fight against pathogenic bacteria.