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Cationic lipids have long been known to serve as antibacterial and antifungal agents. Prior efforts with attachment of cationic lipids to carbohydrate-based surfaces have suggested the possibility that carbohydrate-attached cationic lipids might serve as antibacterial and antifungal pharmaceutical agents. Toward the understanding of this possibility, we have synthesized several series of cationic lipids attached to a variety of glycosides with the intent of generating antimicrobial agents that would meet the requirement for serving as a pharmaceutical agent, specifically that the agent be effective at a very low concentration as well as being biodegradable within the organism being treated. The initial results of our approach to this goal are presented.

Efforts toward the development of polycationic lipid materials as alternative approaches for the control of pathogenic bacteria continue. While most prior efforts have been directed toward preventing bacterial infections, the direction is now turned toward destruction of bacteria that have already infected an organism. The use of cationic lipids with multiple sites of interaction without the opportunity for development of resistance is sought. Herein are described several carbohydrate scaffolding systems for the covalent attachment of cationic lipids to provide clusters of sites capable of disrupting the pathogenic bacterial cells. Studies with S. aureus and E. coli are reported.

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