Povidone-iodine-functionalized fluorinated polymer coatings with dual-functional antibacterial and antifouling activities should be very promising in practical biomedical applications.

Pathogenic bacteria have become global threats to public health. Since the advent of antibiotics about 100 years ago, their use has been embraced with great enthusiasm because of their effective...

Accurate and sensitive diagnosis of pathogenic bacterial infection is a fundamental first step for correct bacteria management, helping to avoid the development of drug-resistant bacteria caused by the inappropriate use and overuse of antibiotics. Fluorescence probes as a promising visual tool can help identify pathogens rapidly and reliably. However, rigidly structured traditional fluorescence probes generally suffer from the drawback of aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect, which greatly undermines their advantages with respect to sensitivity. Luminogens with aggregation-induced emission properties, namely AIEgens, can overcome the ACQ effect and certain AIEgen-based materials are capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the aggregate states. Hence, they have become powerful tools for imaging and killing bacteria. This review summarizes the recent advances in AIEgens for the diagnosis and treatment of pathogen infections. Special attention has been paid to the molecular design, the application in bacterial imaging and ablation in vitro and in vivo, and the biocompatibility of AIEgens. Finally, the challenges and prospects are discussed in terms of using AIEgens to advance precision therapies for pathogen infections.

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Bacterial contamination in water purification systems is generating significant concern as a global health issue. In this paper, we describe fabricating antibacterial povidone-iodine-conjugated cross-linked polystyrene resins (i.e., P­(St-DVB-NVP)-I2) and investigating them as antimicrobial agents for water decontamination. Comprehensive antibacterial tests showed that the addition of povidone-iodine to polystyrene resins resulted in strong antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria. In addition, the as-synthesized P­(St-DVB-NVP)-I2 was confirmed to have hydrophobicity and favorable biocompatibility. We then examined the possibility of using P­(St-DVB-NVP)-I2 as an antibacterial filter for water treatment and found that it could efficiently remove bacteria from water. An analog experiment demonstrated that the capability of P­(St-DVB-NVP)-I2 for water bacterial decontamination was not influenced by the presence of mineral ions in the water. Most significantly, we confirmed the potential reusability of P­(St-DVB-NVP)-I2 through a recycling test. This method of creating an antibacterial resin by building a conjugation of cross-linked polystyrene with povidone-iodine is safe, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, and the resin shows promise for use in water purification filters.

Iodine capture and reutilization have become one of the most pressing global challenges to public health. Herein, we synthesized novel antibacterial nano-povidones containing hydrophobic nitrile units and hydrophilic pyrrolidone units as two side chains via a radical copolymerization strategy. The pyrrolidone units functioned as an adsorbent to capture iodine and were capable of releasing iodine to attack pathogens. The particles’ morphology, size, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity balance were regulated facilely by introducing polyacrylonitrile into the povidone system. The final nano-povidone–iodines were found to be extremely potent against two selected pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with low cytotoxicity. Remarkably, in comparison with their bulk counterparts, the nano-povidone–iodines showed unexpectedly enhanced antibacterial action because of their special morphology and nanoscale size, rough surfaces, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity balance. This proposed strategy may indicate a new direction for pollutant treatment and secondary utilization.

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