RESUMO
There is a distinct need for antimicrobial compounds that can act at surfaces without leaching into the environment. Such materials should be easy to synthesize, be easy to apply to surfaces, and display reasonable levels of antimicrobial and antifungal activity. Here we describe such a surface-active compound and demonstrate its ability to inhibit the growth of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. We have synthesized a series of polyquaternary ammonium compounds by atom transfer radical polymerization. Two members of this series were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of A. niger. The compounds were dried onto surfaces, and the treated surfaces were then used as growth chambers for A. niger. A water soluble polyquaternary amine compound was shown to effectively kill A. niger in solution in a dose-dependent manner. Conversely, a water insoluble polyquaternary amine compound was shown to kill only the fungi in direct contact with the material on the surface. These results have important implications for the development of effective, environmentally benign, surface-active anti-fungal compounds.
Assuntos
Aminas/química , Anti-Infecciosos/química , Materiais Biocompatíveis/química , Antifúngicos/química , Aspergillus niger/metabolismo , Química Farmacêutica/métodos , Cromatografia , Desenho de Fármacos , Corantes Fluorescentes/farmacologia , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética , Metacrilatos/química , Modelos Químicos , Polímeros/química , Compostos de Amônio Quaternário/química , Tensoativos/farmacologiaRESUMO
Collagen from different sources was isolated and designed as scaffolds to act as a three-dimensional substrate for culturing human skin fibroblasts, which can be used as dermal substitutes. The thermodynamic behavior of the scaffolds developed was analyzed through Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Analysis by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the functional groups in the scaffolds and the mechanical stability of various scaffolds was assessed through tensile strength analysis. Human skin fibroblasts were cultured on the developed scaffolds to assess their cellular interaction and behavior, and the morphological characteristics of the cultured fibroblasts were evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The collagen scaffold exhibited unique features when developed from various sources and it was observed that cells could grow and proliferate well and spread as a monolayer in the reconstituted collagen scaffold.
