Conductive polymer materials and uses thereof

Abstract

To provide a conductive polymer material used for inhibiting pathogenic infection and a method for inhibiting growth of pathogens.SOLUTION: A conductive polymer material includes a conductive component. The conductive component contains poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate), and the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) in the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) ranges from 1:1 to 1:25.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to conductive polymer materials that include a conductive component. The present disclosure also relates to the use of the conductive polymer materials for inhibiting pathogen infection and inhibiting the growth of pathogens. [Background technology]

[0002] Various pathogens present in the environment can affect human health and cause various diseases. Therefore, there is a growing demand for substances with antibacterial and antiviral functions. Common substances with antibacterial and antiviral functions include nanogold solutions, nanosilver solutions, and molecular enzymes (also known as VirusBom). However, nanogold and nanosilver cannot be excreted from the human body and accumulate in the body. Furthermore, molecular enzymes (i.e., VirusBom) must react with bacteria or viruses for a long period of time to achieve their antibacterial or antiviral effects. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Thus, as a first aspect of the present invention, the present disclosure provides a conductive polymer material for use in inhibiting pathogenic infections, which can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art and which comprises a conductive component.

[0004] The conductive component contains poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate), and the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) in the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) is in the range of 1:1 to 1:25.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present invention, the present disclosure provides a method for inhibiting the growth of pathogens, which can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art and comprises applying the aforementioned conductive polymer material to an object. [Detailed description of the invention]

[0006] Where any prior art publication is referred to herein, it should be understood that such reference is not an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Taiwan or any other country.

[0007] It is to be clearly understood that for the purposes of this specification the word "including" means "including but not limited to" and the word "comprises" has a corresponding meaning.

[0008] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Those skilled in the art will recognize many methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein, which could be used in the practice of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure is not limited by the methods and materials described.

[0009] The present disclosure provides a conductive polymer material for use in inhibiting pathogenic infection, the conductive polymer material comprising a conductive component.

[0010] The conductive component comprises poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate), in which the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) is in the range of 1:1 to 1:25.

[0011] Antibacterial and antiviral tests have proven that the conductive polymer material can inhibit or eliminate pathogenic bacteria and viruses, and therefore can be used for antibacterial and antiviral applications. Therefore, the conductive polymer material can be administered to subjects in need thereof for effectiveness against pathogenic infections.

[0012] As used herein, the term "administration" or "administering" means introducing, providing, or delivering a predetermined active ingredient to a subject by any suitable route to perform its intended function.

[0013] As used herein, the term "subject" refers to any animal of interest, such as humans, monkeys, cows, sheep, horses, pigs, goats, dogs, cats, mice, and rats. In certain embodiments, the subject is a human.

[0014] In certain embodiments, the conductive polymer material further comprises dimethyl sulfoxide, and the weight ratio of dimethyl sulfoxide to the conductive component is 1:33.

[0015] In certain embodiments, the conductive component further comprises water.

[0016] In certain embodiments, the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) is in the range of 1:1.5 to 1:5.

[0017] According to the present disclosure, the pathogenic infection is one caused by a pathogenic bacterium selected from the group consisting of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and combinations thereof.

[0018] According to the present disclosure, the pathogenic infection is one caused by a pathogenic virus selected from the group consisting of enterovirus, paramyxovirus, coronavirus, herpes simplex virus, influenza virus, and combinations thereof.

[0019] In certain embodiments, the enterovirus is enterovirus 71 (EV71). In certain embodiments, the paramyxovirus is Newcastle disease virus (NDV). In certain embodiments, the coronavirus is selected from the group consisting of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV). In certain embodiments, the herpes simplex virus is pseudorabies virus (PRV). In certain embodiments, the influenza virus is selected from the group consisting of influenza A virus and influenza B virus.

[0020] According to the present disclosure, the conductive polymeric material can be prepared in the form of a pharmaceutical composition, which can be formulated into a dosage form suitable for topical administration using techniques well known to those skilled in the art.

[0021] According to the present disclosure, dosage forms suitable for topical administration include, but are not limited to, emulsions, gels, plasters, creams, patches, liniments, powders, aerosols, sprays, lotions, serums, pastes, foams, drops, suspensions, ointments, and bandages.

[0022] The present disclosure also provides a method for inhibiting the growth of pathogens, which comprises applying the aforementioned conductive polymer material onto an object.

[0023] Examples of such objects may include, but are not limited to, metal objects and plastic objects.

[0024] According to the present disclosure, the pathogen is selected from the group consisting of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and combinations thereof.

[0025] According to the present disclosure, the pathogen is selected from the group consisting of enterovirus, paramyxovirus, coronavirus, herpes simplex virus, influenza virus, and combinations thereof.

[0026] In certain embodiments, the enterovirus is enterovirus 71 (EV71). In certain embodiments, the paramyxovirus is Newcastle disease virus (NDV). In certain embodiments, the coronavirus is selected from the group consisting of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV). In certain embodiments, the herpes simplex virus is pseudorabies virus (PRV). In certain embodiments, the influenza virus is selected from the group consisting of influenza A virus and influenza B virus.

[0027] The present disclosure is further illustrated by the following examples, although it should be understood that the following examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the disclosure in any way. Example Fabrication of conductive polymer materials Example 1:

[0028] 153.25 g of poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) (manufacturer: Akzo Nobel, molecular weight: 70,000) was mixed with 3,923.026 g of water and stirred at 40°C for 30 minutes. The resulting mixture was mixed with 0.811 g of ferric chloride (FeCl3) (Alfa Aesar) and stirred at 40°C for 30 minutes. After that, 7.109 g of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) (Synmax Biochemical) was added. The resulting mixture was reacted at 40°C for 20 minutes with stirring. After the temperature of the reaction mixture was lowered to 20°C, 6.3895 g of ammonium persulfate ((NH4)2S2O8) (ADEKA) was added and stirred for 120 minutes. The above process of adding ammonium persulfate and then stirring was repeated twice.

[0029] Next, 39.09 g of a strong acid cation exchange resin (manufacturer: Tai-Young Chemical Co., Ltd., catalog number: DIAION UBK08H, component: styrene polymer) and 55.54 g of a weak base anion exchange resin (Tai-Young Chemical Co., Ltd., catalog number: RELITE JA310, component: styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer) were added to the resulting mixture and stirred for 60 minutes. The resulting mixture was filtered through a filter (mesh: 200 μm) to obtain the conductive component. The conductive component contained poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) and water. The molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) was 1:5.

[0030] The conductive component was homogenized 10 times under a pressure of 1800 bar using a high-pressure homogenizer (manufacturer: GOGENE, catalog number: N-10) to obtain a conductive polymer material with uniform particle size. Examples 2 and 3 (Examples 2 and 3):

[0031] The procedures for preparing the conductive polymer materials of Examples 2 and 3 were similar to those of Example 1, except that the amounts of water, EDOT, (NH)SO, strong acid cation exchange resin, and weak base anion exchange resin were varied as shown in Table 1 below. Example 4:

[0032] The procedure for preparing the conductive polymer material of Example 4 was the same as that of Example 2, except that 0.903 g of dimethyl sulfoxide was added after 10 homogenization cycles. Example 5:

[0033] The procedure for preparing the conductive polymer material of Example 5 was the same as that of Example 3, except that 0.671 g of dimethyl sulfoxide was added after 10 homogenization cycles.

[0034] The components and their blending amounts for producing the conductive polymer materials of Examples 1 to 5 are summarized in Table 1 below. Solids content measurement

[0035] The conductive polymer material of each of Examples 1 to 5 was dried in an oven (manufacturer: DENGYNG, catalog number: DO30) at 105° C. for 3 hours to obtain a dry powder of the conductive polymer material.

[0036] The weights of the conductive polymer materials and the dry powders of the conductive polymer materials of Examples 1 to 5 are measured, and the solid contents (%) are calculated using the following formula (1). Formula (1) A = (B / C) × 100 where A is the solid content (%), B is the weight (g) of the dry powder of the conductive polymer material in each example; C is the weight (g) of the conductive polymer material in each example.

[0037] The results are shown in the following Table 1. It can be seen from Table 1 that the conductive polymer material of each of Examples 1 to 5 had a solids content of 1.3% by weight. [Table 1] Antibacterial activity analysis

[0038] The conductive polymer material of Example 3 was analyzed for its antibacterial activity by SGS Co., Ltd., Taiwan, which performed the antibacterial effectiveness test of the United States Pharmacopoeia 26NF21 Microbiology Test (51).

[0039] The four pathogenic bacterial strains used in this experiment are publicly available and were purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Manassas, Virginia, USA). Relevant information about each pathogenic bacterial strain is listed in Table 2 below. [Table 2]

[0040] The results showed that after 24 hours of incubation with each of the four pathogenic bacterial strains, the conductive polymer material of Example 3 had an inhibition rate of 99.9% or more against antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli, and an inhibition rate of 65.4% or more against Candida albicans. Therefore, the applicant believes that the conductive polymer material of Example 3 has excellent antibacterial effect. Analysis of antiviral activity A. Cell Line Source and Culture

[0041] The five cell lines used in this study are readily available and were purchased from the Food Industry Research and Development Institute (FIRDI) Bioresource Collection and Research Center (BCRC), No. 331 Food Road, Hsinchu City, Taiwan. Relevant information about each cell line is listed in Table 3 below. [Table 3]

[0042] Each of the five cell lines was grown in a 10 cm Petri dish containing Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 1% Gibco® penicillin-streptomycin-neomycin (PSN) antibiotic mixture. The cells were then cultured for 24 hours in an incubator set at 37°C and 5% CO2. The resulting cell cultures were used in the following experiments. B. Virus acquisition and culture

[0043] The six viruses used in this experiment were obtained from the Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan, and cultured using the corresponding cell lines shown in Table 4 according to procedures known to those skilled in the art. [Table 4]

[0044] Briefly, 1 mL of cell culture of each of the five cell lines listed in Table 4 was added to a flask containing 9 mL of DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS at a concentration of 2 × 10 cells. 6 The cells were inoculated at a concentration of 1000 cells / mL and then cultured in an incubator (37°C, 5% CO2). After a cell monolayer formed in the flask, the liquid medium was removed, and each resulting cell culture was washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). It was then infected with one of the six viruses listed in Table 4 at a multiplicity of infection (moi) of 0.1 and then left for 1 hour. Next, 5 mL of DMEM was added to the flask, and the cells were cultured in an incubator (37°C, 5% CO2). The cultured cells were observed daily for cytopathic effects. Freeze-thaw cycles were performed three times when cytopathic effects were observed in 75% of the cultured cells, resulting in liquid cultures. After centrifugation at 2500 g at 4°C for 10–20 minutes, the resulting supernatant was collected and stored at −80°C until use. Hereinafter, this supernatant will be referred to as the "virus solution." C. Preparation of test samples

[0045] Each of the conductive polymer materials in Examples 1 to 5 was diluted with PBS to obtain seven dilutions (prepared using dilution ratios of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64). Each dilution was then incubated with each of the virus solutions prepared in Section B for different incubation times (i.e., 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes). Each of the resulting mixtures was used as a test sample, and the following analysis was performed. D. Plaque Reduction Assay (PRA)

[0046] Cell cultures of each of the five cell lines listed in Table 4 above were plated at 3 × 10 cells per well of a 6-well culture plate containing 2 mL of DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS. 5The cells were incubated with 100 μL of the test sample per well and cultured in an incubator (37°C, 5% CO2) for 1 day. Each cell culture was then treated with 100 μL of the test sample prepared using the corresponding virus solution as shown in Table 4, followed by culture in an incubator (37°C) for 1 hour. Two mL of semi-solid overlay medium (42°C) was added to each well, followed by culture in an incubator (37°C, 5% CO2) for 5 days. Next, 2 mL of crystal violet-containing staining solution was added to each well and allowed to stand for 0.5 hours. Each well was then washed with water to remove the staining solution, and air-dried to obtain the sample.

[0047] Each sample was visually observed for a color change: a colorless sample indicates that the virus is still viable, while a crystal violet color indicates that the virus has been completely killed.

[0048] The test results are shown in Tables 5 to 9 below. Table 5 shows that the conductive polymer material of Example 1 exhibits antiviral effects against Newcastle disease virus, feline infectious peritonitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, pseudorabies virus, and influenza A virus. In particular, at the same dilution factor, the conductive polymer material of Example 1 exhibited antiviral effects against Newcastle disease virus and influenza A virus in a relatively short period of time.

[0049] It can be seen from Table 6 that the conductive polymer material of Example 2 exhibited antiviral effects against feline infectious peritonitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and pseudorabies virus.

[0050] It can be seen from Table 7 that the conductive polymer material of Example 3 exhibited antiviral effects against enterovirus 71, Newcastle disease virus, feline infectious peritonitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, pseudorabies virus, and influenza A virus. In particular, at the same dilution factor, the conductive polymer material of Example 3 exhibited antiviral effects against Newcastle disease virus, pseudorabies virus, and influenza A virus in a relatively short period of time.

[0051] It can be seen from Table 8 that the conductive polymer material of Example 4 exhibited antiviral effects against feline infectious peritonitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and pseudorabies virus. In particular, at the same dilution factor, the conductive polymer material of Example 4 exhibited antiviral effects against pseudorabies virus in a relatively short period of time.

[0052] It can be seen from Table 9 that the conductive polymer material of Example 5 exhibited antiviral effects against Newcastle disease virus, feline infectious peritonitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, pseudorabies virus, and influenza A virus. In particular, at the same dilution factor, the conductive polymer material of Example 5 exhibited antiviral effects against pseudorabies virus in a relatively short period of time. [Table 5] [Table 6] [Table 7] [Table 8] [Table 9]

[0053] To summarize the above test results, it is clear that the conductive polymer material of the present disclosure has excellent antibacterial and antiviral effects, and therefore can inhibit the growth of pathogens and suppress pathogenic infections.

[0054] While the present disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered to be exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to cover various arrangements within the broadest spirit and scope so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A conductive polymer material for use in inhibiting pathogenic infections, comprising a conductive component, the conductive component comprises poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate), wherein the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) is in the range of 1:1 to 1:25; The conductive polymer material, wherein the pathogenic infection is a pathogenic infection caused by a pathogenic virus selected from the group consisting of enterovirus 71, Newcastle disease virus, feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), influenza A virus, and combinations thereof.

2. 2. The conductive polymer material of claim 1, wherein the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) is in the range of 1:1.5 to 1:

5.

3. The conductive polymer material of claim 1 , wherein the conductive component further comprises water.

4. 4. The conductive polymer material of claim 3, further comprising dimethyl sulfoxide, and the weight ratio of dimethyl sulfoxide to the conductive component is 1:

33.

5. 1. A method for inhibiting the growth of pathogens, comprising applying to a subject (excluding a human) a conductive polymer material comprising a conductive component, the method comprising: the conductive component comprises poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate), and the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrenesulfonate) in the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) is in the range of 1:1 to 1:25; A method for inhibiting the growth of a pathogen, wherein the pathogen is a pathogenic virus selected from the group consisting of enterovirus 71, Newcastle disease virus, feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), influenza A virus, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the molar ratio of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) to poly(styrene sulfonate) is in the range of 1:1.5 to 1:

5.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the conductive component further comprises water.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the conductive polymer material further comprises dimethyl sulfoxide, and the weight ratio of dimethyl sulfoxide to the conductive component is 1:33.

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