Date of Award
12-17-2025
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department
Chemistry & Biochemistry
First Advisor
Ryan T. Hayes
Second Advisor
Melissa Poua
Abstract
This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of G1, G2, and G3-Hex-NH2 polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with an emphasis on how dendrimer size influenced their efficacy against C. acnes and S. epidermidis. Dendrimers are nano-sized, radially symmetric polymers composed of highly branched units that extend out from a central core. Dendrimers are known to exhibit antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria by disrupting the lipid bilayer and causing membrane damage. This study explored their effect on a different group of microorganisms–Gram-positive skin flora. Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion tests were performed to evaluate minimum inhibitory concentrations for each dendrimer solution. All generations of PAMAM dendrimers demonstrated antimicrobial activity against the two organisms.
Recommended Citation
Inae, Elise M., "Effects of PAMAM Dendrimer Size on Antimicrobial Activity for Acne Treatment" (2025). Honors Theses. 311.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/honors/311
Subject Area
Dendrimers; Acne; Skin--Diseases
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.