Synthesis and antibacterial activity of methylated N-(4-N,N-dimethylaminocinnamyl) chitosan chloride

The methylated chitosan containing different aromatic moieties were synthesized by two steps, the reductive amination and the methylation. The chemical structures of all methylated derivatives, methylated N-(4-N,N-dimethylaminocinnamyl) chitosan chloride (MDMCMCh), methylated N-(4-pyridylmethyl) chitosan chloride (MPyMeCh), and N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan chloride (TMChC) were characterized by ATR-FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights of the methylated chitosan derivatives were determined by gel permeation chromatography. The results revealed that the molecular weights of chitosan and N-aryl chitosan derivatives could be reduced by the methylation process. The degree of N-substitution (DS) and the degree of quaternization (DQ) were calculated by 1H NMR ranged from 50% to 76%, and 28% to 82%, respectively. The water solubility of the methylated chitosan derivatives decreased with increasing concentration and pH. The antibacterial studies of these methylated chitosan derivatives were carried out by using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) methods against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (Gram-positive) bacteria. It was found that the MDMCMCh showed higher antibacterial activity than TMChC while MPyMeCh exhibited reduced antibacterial activity against both bacteria at the same DQ level. In comparison to each of the chemical structure, it was found that the antibacterial activity was not only dependent on the DQ but it was also dependent on the positively charged location and the molecular weight.