Polyethyleneimine modified poly(Hyaluronic acid) particles with controllable antimicrobial and anticancer effects

Poly(hyaluronic acid) (p(HA)) particles with sizes from few hundred nm to few tens of micrometer were synthesized by using epoxy groups containing crosslinker glycerol diglycidyl ether (GDE) with high yield, 94 ± 5%. P(HA) particles were oxidized by treatment with sodium periodate and then reacted with cationic polyethyleneimine (PEI) at 1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:2 wt ratio of p(HA):PEI to obtain p(HA)-PEI particles. From zeta potential measurements, isoelectronic points of bare p(HA) particles increased to pH 8.7 from 2.7 after modification with cationic PEI. New properties, such as antibacterial property, were attained for p(HA)-PEI after modification. The highest minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were 0.5, 1, and 0.5 mg/mL against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis species for 1:0.5 ratio of p(HA)-PEI at 72 h incubation time. Moreover, the p(HA)-PEI particles were found to be biocompatible with L929 fibroblast cells, and interestingly, p(HA)-PEI particles were found to inhibit MDA-MB-231 breast and H1299 cancer cell growth depending on amount of PEI in p(HA)-PEI particles.