Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan, University, Shanghai 200032, China.
College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Biomater Sci. 2022 Nov 8;10(22):6460-6471. doi: 10.1039/d2bm01130a.
Bacterial nanotubes are tubular membranous structures bulging from the cell surface that can connect neighboring bacteria for the exchange of intercellular substances. However, little is known about the formation and function of bacterial nanotubes under the stress of antimicrobial materials. Herein, an imidazolium-type cationic poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) and corresponding PIL membranes with antimicrobial properties were synthesized. The effects of these cationic polymers on the formation of bacterial nanotubes between () and () or (), followed by intraspecies and interspecies exchange of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were investigated. The results showed that bacteria tend to produce more nanotubes accompanied by drug-resistance trade, which can even make the ARGs of pathogens spread to the environmental microbes of . Given the unique antimicrobial sustainability toward bacteria after they acquire ARGs bacterial nanotubes, antimicrobial PILs demonstrate bright prospects in the battle against resistant bacteria.
细菌纳米管是从细胞表面鼓出的管状膜结构，可连接邻近的细菌以交换细胞间物质。然而，在抗菌材料的压力下，细菌纳米管的形成和功能知之甚少。本文合成了具有抗菌性能的咪唑型阳离子聚（离子液体）（PIL）及其相应的 PIL 膜。研究了这些阳离子聚合物对（）和（）或（）之间细菌纳米管形成的影响，以及随后种内和种间抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）的交换。结果表明，细菌更容易产生更多的纳米管，并伴随着耐药性的转移，甚至可以使病原体的 ARGs 传播到环境微生物中。鉴于细菌获得 ARGs 后对细菌具有独特的抗菌可持续性，抗菌 PIL 有望在对抗耐药菌的斗争中取得成功。
