Bactericidal Action of Nitric Oxide-Releasing Alginate as a Function of Molecular Weight

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  • February 26, 2019
Creator
  • Zhu, Huanyu
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry
Abstract
  • Nitric oxide (NO) has a vast range of biological functions; exhibiting tumoricidal and antimicrobial properties while also playing a role in angiogenesis, platelet adhesion, and inflammatory responses. Macromolecular scaffolds capable of storing and releasing NO have the potential to be used as antimicrobial agents to protect populations more prone to bacterial infection, such as people who suffer from cystic fibrosis (CF). Alginate, an anionic biopolymer composed of mannuronic acid and guluronic acid residues, represent an ideal NO-releasing vehicle due to low cytotoxicity, simple modification process, and water solubility even at high molecular weights (200-500 kDa). Herein, we report a systematic study to examine the antibacterial properties of different molecular weight alginate against planktonic Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two of the most common pathogens present in CF patients. Lower molecular weight (2 - 5 kDa) NO-releasing alginate was found to have improved bactericidal efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, requiring lower NO doses to achieve bacterial killing compared to the conventional antibiotic - tobramycin. However, NO-releasing alginates’ bactericidal efficacy against S. aureus did not exhibit a clear dependency on molecular weight.
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Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Schoenfisch, Mark H.
Degree
  • Bachelor of Science
Academic concentration
  • Chemistry
Honors level
  • Honors
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2018
Language
  • English

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