title: Mechanism of chlorpromazine binding by gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
abstract: Chlorpromazine forms charge-transfer complexes with xanthene dyes in bacteria. These complexes permit the differentiation of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in both light and polarization microscopy. The birefringence induced by the charge-transfer complex might explain the molecular basis of bacterial staining. The charge-transfer complexes formed between chlorpromazine and xanthene dyes accumulate in the bacterial cell, mainly inside the bacterial cell wall. The complexes give the cells a color, which depends on the chemical composition of the staining structure, and in particular the polysaccharides of the cell wall in bacteria. Metachromatic granules were seen inside Gram-positive bacteria after chlorpromazine and rose bengal staining. Although the nature of these granules remains unclear, this type of binding may have a role in the inhibition of biochemical processes in the bacterial cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Molnár
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D001718:Birefringence; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry; D002746:Chlorpromazine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization; D019820:Xanthine; D014970:Xanthines / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014970:Xanthines; D019820:Xanthine; D002746:Chlorpromazine