Controlling the release of peptide antimicrobial agents from surfaces.

Medical conditions are often exacerbated by the onset of infection caused by hospital dwelling bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotics taken orally or intravenously can require large and frequent doses, further contributing to the sharp rise in resistant bacteria observed over the past several decades. These existing antibiotics are also often ineffective in preventing biofilm formation, a common cause of medical device failure. Local delivery of new therapeutic agents that do not allow bacterial resistance to occur, such as antimicrobial peptides, could alleviate many of the problems associated with current antibacterial treatments. By taking advantage of the versatility of layer-by-layer assembly of polymer thin films, ponericin G1, an antimicrobial peptide known to be highly active against S. aureus, was incorporated into a hydrolytically degradable polyelectrolyte multilayer film. Several film architectures were examined to obtain various drug loadings that ranged from 20 to 150 microg/cm2. Release was observed over approximately ten days, with varying release profiles, including burst as well as linear release. Results indicated that film-released peptide did not suffer any loss in activity against S. aureus and was able to inhibit bacteria attachment, a necessary step in preventing biofilm formation. Additionally, all films were found to be biocompatible with the relevant wound healing cells, NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. These films provide the level of control over drug loading and release kinetics required in medically relevant applications including coatings for implant materials and bandages, while eliminating susceptibility to bacterial resistance.

The local environment of Cu+ in Cu-Y zeolite and its relationship to the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate.

Cu-exchanged Y zeolite was investigated in order to determine the location of the copper cations relative to the zeolite framework and to determine which Cu cations are active for the oxidative carbonylation of methanol to dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Cu-Y zeolite was prepared by vapor-phase exchange of H-Y with CuCl. The oxidation state, local coordination, and bond distances of Al and Cu were determined using Al K-edge and Cu K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Complimentary information was obtained by H2 temperature-programmed reduction and by in-situ infrared spectroscopy. Cu-Y has a Cu/Al ratio of unity and very little occluded CuCl. The average Al-O and Al-Cu bond distances are 1.67 angstroms and 2.79 angstroms, respectively, and the average Cu-O and Cu-Si(Al) bond distances are 1.99 angstroms and 3.13 angstroms, respectively. All of the Cu exchanged is present as Cu+ in sites I', II, and III'. Cu-Y is active for the oxidative carbonylation of methanol, and at low reactant contact time produces DMC as the primary product. With increasing reactant contact time, DMC formation decreases in preference to the formation of dimethoxy methane (DMM) and methylformate (MF). The formation of DMM and MF is attributed to the hydrogenation of DMC and the hydrogenolysis of DMM, respectively. Observation of the catalyst under reaction conditions reveals that most of the copper cations remain as Cu+, but some oxidation of Cu+ to Cu2+ does occur. It is also concluded that only those copper cations present in site II and III' positions are accessible to the reactants, and hence are catalytically active. The dominant adsorbed species on the surface are methoxy groups, and adsorbed CO is present as a minority species. The relationship of these observations to the kinetics of DMC synthesis is discussed.