Anionic amphiphilic dendrimers as antibacterial agents.
An anionic amphiphilic dendrimer is reported that possesses increased cytotoxicological potency against prokaryotic cells compared to eukaryotic cells. The half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) for the dendrimer against Bacillus subtilis, a Gram-positive bacterial strain, was measured to be 4.1 x 10(-5) M, while that against human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was more than 36x greater at a value of 1.5 x 10(-3) M. EC50 ratios for two commercial amphiphiles, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100, in addition to a similar synthesized dendritic structure were at most only 3.8x greater. Furthermore, the observed EC50 values appear to be correlated to the critical aggregation constant (CAC) in solution suggesting a mechanism of action for these anionic amphiphilic dendrimers related to their supramolecular structures.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Metcalf Center for Science and Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Steven R
SR
Meyers
Frank S
FS
Juhn
Aaron P
AP
Griset
Nathanael R
NR
Luman
Mark W
MW
Grinstaff
D000838:Anions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D017830:Octoxynol / Q000494:pharmacology; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology
D000838:Anions; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D050091:Dendrimers; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D017830:Octoxynol