title: Rapid evaluation of the antibacterial activity of arylene-ethynylene compounds.
abstract: A series of oligo(arylene-ethynylene) (1-3 repeat units) compounds functionalized with quaternary ammonium groups was screened for their antibacterial activity in the dark and with activation by long-wavelength (365 nm) UV irradiation. Several of these compounds have effective bactericidal activity (>99.9% killing) at concentrations between 0.01 and 10 μg/mL. Our approach uses flow cytometry to rapidly screen and evaluate the susceptibility of bacterial populations. The rapidity, high information content, and accuracy of this approach make it an extremely valuable method for the study of antibacterial compounds.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical & Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Corbitt
authors.forename: Zhijun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yanli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Graves
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Whitten
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds