@article {742,
	title = {Antimicrobial polymers prepared by ROMP with unprecedented selectivity: a molecular construction kit approach.},
	journal = {J Am Chem Soc},
	volume = {130},
	year = {2008},
	month = {2008 Jul 30},
	pages = {9836-43},
	abstract = {Synthetic Mimics of Antimicrobial Peptides (SMAMPs) imitate natural host-defense peptides, a vital component of the body{\textquoteright}s immune system. This work presents a molecular construction kit that allows the easy and versatile synthesis of a broad variety of facially amphiphilic oxanorbornene-derived monomers. Their ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and deprotection provide several series of SMAMPs. Using amphiphilicity, monomer feed ratio, and molecular weight as parameters, polymers with 533 times higher selectivitiy (selecitviy = hemolytic concentration/minimum inhibitory concentration) for bacteria over mammalian cells were discovered. Some of these polymers were 50 times more selective for Gram-positive over Gram-negative bacteria while other polymers surprisingly showed the opposite preference. This kind of "double selectivity" (bacteria over mammalian and one bacterial type over another) is unprecedented in other polymer systems and is attributed to the monomer{\textquoteright}s facial amphiphilicity.},
	keywords = {Anti-Infective Agents, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Biomimetic Materials, Erythrocytes, Escherichia coli, Hemolysis, Humans, Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Molecular Weight, Norbornanes, Polymers, Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization, Staphylococcus aureus, Structure-Activity Relationship},
	issn = {1520-5126},
	doi = {10.1021/ja801662y},
	author = {Lienkamp, Karen and Madkour, Ahmad E and Musante, Ashlan and Nelson, Christopher F and N{\"u}sslein, Klaus and Tew, Gregory N}
}
@article {741,
	title = {Investigating the effect of increasing charge density on the hemolytic activity of synthetic antimicrobial polymers.},
	journal = {Biomacromolecules},
	volume = {9},
	year = {2008},
	month = {2008 Oct},
	pages = {2805-10},
	abstract = {The current study is aimed at investigating the effect of fine-tuning the cationic character of synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides (SMAMPs) on the hemolytic and antibacterial activities. A series of novel norbornene monomers that carry one, two, or three Boc-protected amine functionalities was prepared. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of the monomers, followed by deprotection of the amine groups resulted in cationic antimicrobial polynorbornenes that carry one, two, and three charges per monomer repeat unit. Increasing the number of amine groups on the most hydrophobic polymer reduced its hemolytic activity significantly. To understand the membrane activity of these polymers, we conducted dye leakage experiments on lipid vesicles that mimic bacteria and red blood cell membranes, and these results showed a strong correlation with the hemolysis data.},
	keywords = {Amines, Anti-Infective Agents, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Drug Design, Erythrocytes, Escherichia coli, Hemolysis, Humans, Lipids, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Models, Chemical, Peptides, Polymers, Staphylococcus aureus},
	issn = {1526-4602},
	doi = {10.1021/bm800569x},
	author = {Al-Badri, Zoha M and Som, Abhigyan and Lyon, Sarah and Nelson, Christopher F and N{\"u}sslein, Klaus and Tew, Gregory N}
}
@article {740,
	title = {Synthetic mimic of antimicrobial peptide with nonmembrane-disrupting antibacterial properties.},
	journal = {Biomacromolecules},
	volume = {9},
	year = {2008},
	month = {2008 Nov},
	pages = {2980-3},
	abstract = {Polyguanidinium oxanorbornene ( PGON) was synthesized from norbornene monomers via ring-opening metathesis polymerization. This polymer was observed to be strongly antibacterial against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as nonhemolytic against human red blood cells. Time-kill studies indicated that this polymer is lethal and not just bacteriostatic. In sharp contrast to previously reported SMAMPs (synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides), PGON did not disrupt membranes in vesicle-dye leakage assays and microscopy experiments. The unique biological properties of PGON, in same ways similar to cell-penetrating peptides, strongly encourage the examination of other novel guanidino containing macromolecules as powerful and selective antimicrobial agents.},
	keywords = {Anti-Bacterial Agents, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Erythrocytes, Gram-Negative Bacteria, Gram-Positive Bacteria, Guanidines, Humans, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Molecular Mimicry, Polymers},
	issn = {1526-4602},
	doi = {10.1021/bm800855t},
	author = {Gabriel, Gregory J and Madkour, Ahmad E and Dabkowski, Jeffrey M and Nelson, Christopher F and N{\"u}sslein, Klaus and Tew, Gregory N}
}
@article {750,
	title = {Simple oligomers as antimicrobial peptide mimics.},
	journal = {J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol},
	volume = {32},
	year = {2005},
	month = {2005 Jul},
	pages = {296-300},
	abstract = {New approaches to antibiotic design are desperately needed. The design of simple oligomers that capture the shape and biological function of natural antimicrobial peptides could prove to be versatile and highly successful. We discuss the use of aromatic backbones to design facially amphiphilic (FA) beta-sheet like structures which are potently antimicrobial. These oligomers capture the physiochemical properties of peptides like the Magainins and Defensins, which fold into specific conformations that are amphiphilic resulting in antimicrobial activity. However, natural peptides are expensive to prepare and difficult to produce on large scale. The design of polymers and oligomers that mimic the complex structures and remarkable biological properties of proteins is an important endeavor and provides attractive alternatives to the difficult synthesis of natural peptides. We therefore have designed a series of FA oligomers that are easy to prepare from inexpensive monomers. They adopt structures very reminiscent of amphiphilic beta-sheets and have significant activity with minimal inhibitory concentrations at 6 h in the low microgram per ml range (muM to nM). They are active against a broad spectrum of bacteria including gram-positive and gram-negative as well as antibiotic resistant strains.},
	keywords = {Amides, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Gram-Negative Bacteria, Gram-Positive Bacteria, Inhibitory Concentration 50, Peptides, Protein Conformation},
	issn = {1367-5435},
	doi = {10.1007/s10295-005-0219-0},
	author = {Rennie, Jason and Arnt, Lachelle and Tang, Haizhong and N{\"u}sslein, Klaus and Tew, Gregory N}
}
