title: Antibacterial activity of long-chain fatty alcohols against Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: The antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus of long-chain fatty alcohols was investigated, with a focus on normal alcohols. The antibacterial activity varied with the length of the aliphatic carbon chain and not with the water/octanol partition coefficient. 1-Nonanol, 1-decanol and 1-undecanol had bactericidal activity and membrane-damaging activity. 1-Dodecanol and 1-tridecanol had the highest antibacterial activity among the long-chain fatty alcohols tested, but had no membrane-damaging activity. Consequently, it appears that not only the antibacterial activity but also the mode of action of long-chain fatty alcohols might be determined by the length of the aliphatic carbon chain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Showa Pharmaceutical University, Machida, 194-8543 Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Togashi
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shiraishi
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishizaka
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Kazutoyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamashima
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D011188:Potassium