Compositions and methods for cell killing

Abstract

A solid buffer including one or more ion exchange materials, wherein said solid buffer has a volumetric buffering capacity greater than about 20 mM H + /(L·pH unit) and further wherein, when said material is in an environment capable of transporting H + ions, said solid buffer is adapted to cause the death of at least one target cell within or in contact with said environment. A selectively permeable barrier layer may be provided covering the solid buffer.

1 - 43 . (canceled) 
     
     
         44 . A method of generating a change in a cellular process of a target eukaryotic cell, said method comprising contacting the target cell with a solid buffer so as to alter an intracellular pH value in at least a portion of said target cell, thereby generating said change in a cellular process of a target cell, wherein said solid buffer comprises one or more solid ion exchange materials having one or more functional groups selected to dissociate H+ ions, wherein said solid buffer having volumetric buffering capacity greater than about 20 mM H+/(L·pH unit) in an environment capable of transporting H+ ions, said solid buffer comprises a sulfonated polystyrene polymer or a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene copolymer and is adapted to cause the death of at least one target cell within or in contact with said environment. 
     
     
         45 - 68 . (canceled) 
     
     
         69 . An article of manufacture comprising:
 (i) a support; and   (ii) a solid buffer layer being attached to at least part of a surface of said support, said solid buffer comprises a buffering layer and an ion permeable layer being disposed on an external surface of said buffering layer,   wherein said solid buffer comprises one or more solid ion exchange materials having one or more functional groups selected to dissociate H+ ions, wherein said solid buffer having volumetric buffering capacity greater than about 20 mM H+/(L·pH unit) in an environment capable of transporting H+ ions, said solid buffer comprises a sulfonated polystyrene polymer or a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene copolymer and is adapted to cause the death of at least one target cell within or in contact with said environment.   
     
     
         70 . An article of manufacture comprising:
 (i) a support; and   (ii) a solid buffer layer being attached to at least part of a surface of said support, said solid buffer being anionic,   wherein said solid buffer comprises one or more solid ion exchange materials having one or more functional groups selected to dissociate H+ ions, wherein said solid buffer having volumetric buffering capacity greater than about 20 mM H+/(L·pH unit) in an environment capable of transporting H+ ions, said solid buffer comprises a sulfonated polystyrene polymer or a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene copolymer and is adapted to cause the death of at least one target cell within or in contact with said environment.   
     
     
         71 . The article of  claim 70  wherein said target cell is a bacterial cell, a fungal cell or a yeast cell. 
     
     
         72 . The article of  claim 71  wherein said target cell is a bacterial cell. 
     
     
         73 . The article of  claim 70  wherein said solid buffer is adapted to kill said target cell without inserting any of its structure into the membrane of said target cell. 
     
     
         74 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the volumetric buffering capacity is at least about 50 mM H + /(L·pH unit). 
     
     
         75 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the volumetric buffering capacity is at least about 100 mM H + /(L·pH unit). 
     
     
         76 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the H+ concentration is greater than about 3.2×10 −5  M or less than about 10 −8  M. 
     
     
         77 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the solid buffer comprises a pH gradient along at least a portion thereof. 
     
     
         78 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the solid buffer comprises a plurality of regions of differing pH. 
     
     
         79 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the solid buffer comprises one or more of an ion exchange bead, a polymer-coated ion exchange bead, and an ion exchange material incorporated in a matrix. 
     
     
         81 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the solid buffer comprises at least a portion of a coating or a component of a medical device, a wound dressing, sutures, cloth, fabric and a wound ointment. 
     
     
         82 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the solid buffer is in the form of a shaped article, a coating, a spray, a film, a laminate on a film, a film in a laminate, sheets, beads, beads incorporated in fabric, particles, microparticles, microcapsules, microemulsions or nanoparticles. 
     
     
         83 . The article of  claim 70  covered by a barrier layer, said barrier layer is selectively permeable to water. 
     
     
         84 . The article of  claim 70  covered by a barrier layer, said barrier layer is permeable to a preselected target cell but not to preselected non-target cells. 
     
     
         85 . The article of  claim 70  wherein the sulfonated polystyrene polymer is sulfonated polystyrene divinylbenzene.