Polymeric Amines Induce Nitric Oxide Release from S-Nitrosothiols.

Catalytic generation of nitric oxide (NO) from NO donors by nanomaterials has enabled prolonged NO delivery for various biomedical applications, but this approach requires laborious synthesis routes. In this study, a new class of materials, that is, polymeric amines including polyethyleneimine (PEI), poly-L-lysine, and poly(allylamine hydrochloride), is discovered to induce NO generation from S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) at physiological conditions. Controlled NO generation can be readily achieved by tuning the concentration of the NO donors (RSNOs) and polymers, and the type and molecular weight of the polymers. Importantly, the mechanism of NO generation by these polymers is deciphered to be attributed to the nucleophilic reaction between primary amines on polymers and the SNO groups of RSNOs. The NO-releasing feature of the polymers can be integrated into a suite of materials, for example, simply by embedding PEI into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels. The functionality of the PVA/PEI hydrogels is demonstrated for Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm prevention with a ≈4 log reduction within 6 h. As NO has potential therapeutic implications in various diseases, the identification of polymeric amines to induce NO release will open new opportunities in NO-generating biomaterials for antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, antithrombotic, and wound healing applications.