Abstract
We focused on amphiphilic polymers that have both a hydrophilic region (dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, DAM) and a hydrophobic region (ethyl methacrylate, EMA). We synthesized a new functional polymer with a ratio of 60:40 and investigated its antifungal effect against Aspergillus brasiliensis, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Fusarium oxysporum. In the mycelial growth inhibition test, low concentrations of the polymer were highly effective against all molds tested, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) against A. brasiliensis were both 1.25 wt%. These results revealed that this polymer is effective as a fungicidal agent. Furthermore, as a result of observing the effect of polymer addition on hyphal growth using slide culture, it was observed that the formation of conidial heads and septa was inhibited, and furthermore, the amount of ergosterol was increased. Therefore, it was inferred that excessive synthesis or accumulation of ergosterol causes inhibition of hyphal elongation and conidia formation. Based on the above, this polymer may have a new mechanism of action that is not an ergosterol inhibitor, and the possibility of its use as a novel antifungal agent that can be applied to indoor environments has increased.
