title: Pentanol and Benzyl Alcohol Attack Bacterial Surface Structures Differently.
abstract: The genus Methylobacterium tolerates hygiene agents like benzalkonium chloride (BAC), and infection with this organism is an important public health issue. Here, we found that the combination of BAC with particular alcohols at nonlethal concentrations in terms of their solitary uses significantly reduced bacterial viability after only 5 min of exposure. Among the alcohols, Raman spectroscopic analyses showed that pentanol (pentyl alcohol [PeA]) and benzyl alcohol (BzA) accelerated the cellular accumulation of BAC. Fluorescence spectroscopic assays and morphological assays with giant vesicles indicated that PeA rarely attacked membrane structures, while BzA increased the membrane fluidity and destabilized the structures. Other fluorescent spectroscopic assays indicated that PeA and BzA inactivate bacterial membrane proteins, including an efflux pump for BAC transportation. These findings suggested that the inactivation of membrane proteins by PeA and BzA led to the cellular accumulation but that only BzA also enhanced BAC penetration by membrane fluidization at nonlethal concentrations.
authors.affiliation: R&D, Safety Science Research, Kao Corporation, Akabane, Ichikai, Haga, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.affiliation: R&D, Safety Science Research, Kao Corporation, Akabane, Ichikai, Haga, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyahara
authors.affiliation: R&D, Household Products Research, Kao Corporation, Minato, Wakayama-shi, Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morii
authors.affiliation: R&D, Household Products Research, Kao Corporation, Minato, Wakayama-shi, Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.affiliation: R&D, Safety Science Research, Kao Corporation, Akabane, Ichikai, Haga, Tochigi, Japan kubota.hiromi@kao.co.jp.
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kubota
mesh_terms: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019905:Benzyl Alcohol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008560:Membrane Fluidity / Q000187:drug effects; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000187:drug effects; D020580:Methylobacterium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D000439:Pentanols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds; D004338:Drug Combinations; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D000439:Pentanols; D019905:Benzyl Alcohol