Antibacterial and Hemolytic Activities of Pyridinium Polymers as a Function of the Spatial Relationship between the Positive Charge and the Pendant Alkyl Tail

The benefits of separation: For homologous polymers having similar backbone composition and charge/tail ratios, placing the charge and alkyl tail on spatially separated centers results in a higher membrane-disrupting ability, as evident from the increased antibacterial and hemolytic activities. The spatial separation particularly amplifies mammalian cell toxicity (see picture).