Versatile Fabrication\nof Biocompatible Antimicrobial\nMaterials Enabled by Cationic Peptide Bundles

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are expected to be an alternative\npromising solution to the global public health problem of antibiotic\nresistance due to their unique antimicrobial mechanism. However, extensive\nefforts are still needed to improve the shortcomings of traditional\nAMPs, such as rapid proteolysis, hemolysis, slow response, toxicity,\netc., by exploring AMP-based new antimicrobial strategies. Here, we\ndevelop cationic peptide bundles into novel antimicrobial architectures\nthat can rapidly kill multiple types of bacteria including drug-resistant\nbacteria. Remarkably, cationic peptide bundles can be used as polymerization\nunits to cross-link with other polymers through simple two-component\npolymerization to produce diverse antimicrobial materials. For the\nproof of concept, three materials were fabricated and investigated,\nincluding an antimicrobial hydrogel that can significantly accelerate\nthe healing of infected wounds, a multifunctional antimicrobial bioadhesive\nthat shows promise in antimicrobial coatings for medical devices,\nand a photo-cross-linked antimicrobial gelatin hydrogel with broad\napplication potential. The integration of antimicrobial units into\nthe materials’ backbone endows their biocompatibility. Cationic\npeptide bundles not only represent a new antimicrobial strategy but\nalso provide a versatile and promising processing method to create\ndiversified, multifunctional, and biocompatible antimicrobial materials.