Poly antibiotics fight drug resistant bacteria

( 12.21.25  )                                    Written by Gio Kim          

Over the past 5 – 6 decades, deaths due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, specifically Gram – negative bacteria, have significantly risen and become a global problem. These bacteria are resistant to standard antibiotics and cause significant problems in clinics.

To combat this problem, scientists unveiled a new solution to combat these bacteria. Scientists E Peter Greenburg and others designed and synthesized imidazolium esters polymers (PIE) with linkage to the co polymers (polymers are long chain molecules of repeating units). By optimizing the hydrophobicity of this linkage, the scientists found an optimized PIE P8 that has a balanced degradation rate. P8 has been found to be effective in killing bacteria without harming normal cells.

P8s work due to their cationic nature. Unlike standard antibiotics that rupture the bacteria’s membrane, P8 passes through the ionic membrane of the bacteria, which also makes it difficult for the bacteria to develop resistance. Inside, P8 combines with the nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), causing these “molecular condensates” made of polymers and nucleic acids. These condensates created in the bacteria caused major disruptions in the creation of new bacteria, leading them to eventually die.

In this paper, P8 was tested on mice, where it was able to efficiently eradicate drug-resistant bacteria in thigh infections, systemic infections, and lung infections. Some bacteria used in this research were E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and others. P8 shows a hopeful sign of combating deaths against multidrug-resistant bacteria and could inspire new ways to fight dangerous bacteria.

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You can read the full paper here:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12594766/#Abs1