Synthesis and characterization of imidazolium based antimicrobial polymer

Antibiotics underpin modern medical interventions such as surgeries, chemotherapy and implants. Recent emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria together with antibiotic overuse threatens the global public health and causes significant mortality and morbidity with its associated economic loss. Numerous efforts have been dedicated to address this issue, yet no effective and safe therapeutics had been developed to treat certain notorious bacterial strains that are the predominant culprits for the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR), specifically the ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species). In this thesis, we synthesized imidazolium-based antimicrobial polymers and found that certain optimised compositions have outstanding bactericidal killing properties like those of antibiotics, and those compounds have good selectivity of bacterial species over mammalian cells. We evaluate their in vitro and in vivo bactericidal and toxicity properties and attempt to elucidate their mechanisms.Doctor of Philosoph