Carbene formation as a mechanism for efficient intracellular uptake of cationic antimicrobial carbon acid polymers

Abstract Cationic polymers have emerged as promising next-generation antimicrobial agents, albeit with inherent limitations such as low potency and limited biocompatibility. Classical cationic polymers kill bacteria via physical membrane disruption. We propose a non-classical mechanism of crossing t...

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Bibliographic Details

Published in:	Nature Communications
Main Authors:	Chong Hui Koh, Mallikharjuna Rao Lambu, Chongyun Tan, Guangmin Wei, Zhi Yuan Kok, Kaixi Zhang, Quang Huy Nhat Vu, Muthuvel Panneerselvam, Ying Jie Ooi, Shiow Han Tan, Zheng Wang, Madhu Babu Tatina, Justin Tze Yang Ng, Aoxin Guo, Panyawut Tonanon, Tram T. Dang, Yunn-Hwen Gan, Yuguang Mu, Paula T. Hammond, Yonggui Robin Chi, Richard D. Webster, Sumod A. Pullarkat, Qingjie Li, E. Peter Greenberg, Angelika Gründling, Kevin Pethe, Mary B. Chan-Park
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Online Access:	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61724-y