Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
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Date of Graduation
Spring 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Biology
Advisor(s)
Kyle Seifert
Pradeep Vasudevan
Kevin L. Caran
Abstract
This project focused on the development of amphiphiles in order to prevent hospital-acquired infections before they have a chance to enter the host, thereby reducing the need for antibiotics. The antibiotic resistance crisis of the 21st century is a dangerous epidemic with global consequences. Therefore, there is a desperate need for novel approaches in antimicrobial research. This would decrease the overall length of stay in hospitals and costs associated with such a stay. In this study, tetracationic amphiphiles with two 12-carbon chains and an aliphatic linker were studied. The MIC value of each amphiphile and strain pair was determined and compared. Linker length, the distance between head groups attached to identical hydrophobic tails appears to affect antimicrobial activity. Amphiphiles with longer linkers tend to be more potent antibacterial agents than those with shorter linkers. Amphiphiles were also used in combination with antibiotics to determine whether the combinations interacted synergistically to kill bacteria. The most potent amphiphile was 12-B-10-B-12 against all bacteria. This amphiphile was longer in linker length relative to other derivatives, suggesting that there is a relationship between linker length and antimicrobial potency. The development of novel amphiphiles may be one way to reduce the need for antibiotics to treat hospital-acquired infections.
Recommended Citation
Kusakavitch, Melanie, "Antimicrobial activity of novel cationic amphiphiles" (2018). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 582.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/582
