title: Antimicrobial effect of simple lipids with different branches at the methyl end group.
abstract: Various fatty acids of branched nature possess fungistatic and bacteriostatic properties. Some of these, particularly those of iso-configuration, strongly enhance the effect of conventional antimicrobial agents that act inside the cell membrane. A relation between this biological effect and the collapse properties of the corresponding monomolecular surface film on water has been observed. In this work, a series of fatty acids with a slightly smaller end group than iso-propyl, the omega-cyclopropane fatty acids, as well as one possessing a somewhat larger end group, the neo-branched fatty acids, have been examined. The omega-cyclopropane fatty acids were found to be more fungistatic than the iso-acids studied earlier. Furthermore, both cyclopropane and neo-fatty acids of short chain lengths exhibited synergistic effects in combination with tetramethylthiuramdisulfide.
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001234:Aspergillus niger / Q000187:drug effects; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects; D003521:Cyclopropanes / Q000494:pharmacology; D003652:Decanoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D005670:Fusarium / Q000187:drug effects; D008055:Lipids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D003652:Decanoic Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids