INMA researchers develop a new methodology to synthesise hybrid antimicrobial materials
– This methodology allows the synthesis of hybrid materials with antimicrobial activity on surfaces, which also prevent the formation of biofilms that occur when bacteria adhere to surfaces in wet conditions.
– The work has been highlighted as a hot paper in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Zaragoza, 16 February 2021.
Researchers at theInstituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón, INMA, a joint institute between the CSIC and the University of Zaragoza, have developed a new synthetic methodology that allows the preparation of antimicrobial hybrid materials (polyoxometalate-peptide), “POMlimers”. The results of this research have been published in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The publication has been highlighted as a “hot paper” and selected as an image for the back cover. This “hot paper” distinction recognises the quality of the research, having obtained a score higher than 20% of those published in the prestigious journal.
The work has been carried out by PhD researchers Héctor Soria Carrera and Isabel Franco Castillo, directed by Dr. Rafael Martín Rapún and Dr. Scott G. Mitchell. The research has had the internal collaboration of several INMA groups led by Dr. Pilar Romero, Dr. Santiago Martín and Prof. Jesús Martínez de la Fuente. This collaboration between different working groups of the institute has allowed to combine different areas of research, to advance efficiently in the fundamental knowledge of hybrid nanomaterials and thus achieve high impact research.
The novelty of the published work lies in the chemical methodology used to combine polyoxometalate “POMs” and peptides for the development of new antimicrobial materials, called “POMlymers”. Peptides are biomolecules that play a vital role in biological functions, acting as catalysts, transporters or in the defence of organisms. The latter defence function is of great interest mainly in the treatment of bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. On the other hand, polyoxometalates (POMs) are transition metal molecular oxides that serve as inorganic scaffolds with antimicrobial activity. To obtain these compounds, a polymerisation of amino acid derivatives directly on the POM (“on-POM polymerization”) has been performed, which reduces the synthetic steps and allows the preparation of a library of compounds in a rapid and controlled manner. Using this strategy, hybrids have been synthesised that exhibit antimicrobial activity on surfaces and prevent biofilm (or biofilm) formation. Biofilms form when bacteria adhere to surfaces in moist environments by excreting a viscous, glue-like substance. For example, plaque that forms on teeth and causes tooth decay or gunk that clogs drains are two types of bacterial biofilm. “If you’ve ever walked in a stream or river, you may have slipped on biofilm-covered rocks,” says Scott Mitchell, one of the researchers. – Scott Mitchell, one of the researchers on the project, tells us.
Sites for biofilm formation include all kinds of surfaces: natural materials above and below ground, metals, plastics, medical implant materials, even plant and body tissues. “Wherever you find a combination of moisture, nutrients and a surface, you are likely to find a biofilm,” says Scott Mitchel.
This new approach to the preparation of POM-peptide-based hybrid materials is currently in its early stages. The high versatility of both parts will allow for the creation of new, more active hybrids in the near future.
This work has been possible, not only due to the collaboration of the researchers, but also to the use of state-of-the-art characterisation equipment, such as the scanning electron microscope under ambient conditions (LMA) or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) equipment (CEQMA). The work is part of the National Plan Project (POMlymers), led by Dr. Rafael Martín Rapún and Dr. Scott G. Mitchell, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation in 2020.
Photo of the researchers (from left to right: Isabel Franco, Rafael Martín, Héctor Soria and Scott Mitchell).
16/02/2021
