The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Cationic Polymers can be dangerous but they are needed for various biomedical applications. Here we introduce a new kind of cationic polymers that form N-heterocyclic carbene that aids translocation across membranes. Unlike traditional antibiotics or AMPs, Oilgoimidazoliums (OIMs) do not cause membrane lysis. Using biochemical and biophysical assays, we demonstrate that carbene formation facilitates a hydrophobic shift in OIMs which are rather hydrophilic with multiple positive charges, enabling them to traverse bacterial membranes and target intracellular DNA. These findings underscore the importance of carbene-mediated internalization as a distinguishing feature of OIMs. We demonstrate the applicability a wide range of polyimidazoliums and OIMs as antibacterial agents.