Synthesis of triblock amphiphilic copolypeptides with excellent antibacterial activity

Antibacterial peptides as a novel antimicrobial agent have overwhelmingly caught researchers’ attention with unique superiority. Here, we report a series of triblock copolypeptides K 10 -b- F n -b- K 10 synthesized by sequential NCA ring-opening polymerization. The obtained triblock copolypeptides have good antibacterial efficacy against both S. aureus and E. coli . The hemolysis test has been conducted and it suggests that the triblock copolypeptides have low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. Furthermore, we present a systematic study on their self-assembly behavior and confirm that they can self-assemble into vesicles. Hence, such triblock copolypeptides have potential applications in antibacterial therapy and biomedical application field.