Research Progress of Influence Factor of Cationic Antibacterial Polymers

Abstract

Bacterial infections seriously threatens human health which has become a global problem, while the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and the gradual increase of drug resistance have exacerbated this problem.Therefore, antibacterial materials or antibiotics with high antibacterial efficiency and low toxicity and without drug resistance are urgently needed. Cationic polymers with cationic groups in the structures enjoy special physicochemical properties, which have attracted wide academic attention. The cationic groups in the cationic polymers can electro statically bind to the electro-negative bacterial cell membrane, simultaneously the hydrophobic chains of cationic polymers can insert into the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membranes, disturbing the cell membranes, which leads to the bacteria′s death. Moreover, the structural designability of cationic polymers makes it possible to obtain antibacterial materials with adjustable antibacterial properties by adjusting its cationic and anionic structure and composition. This study mainly summarized the influence of cationic structure, anionic structure, hydrophobic chain, electric density and functional groups on cationic antibacterial polymers, it reveals that adjusting its cationic structure makes antibacterial properties adjustable.

Keywords

• cationic polymers
• antibacterial properties
• cation
• anion
• functional groups