Relationship between Adsorption of an Anionic Surfactant onto a Synthetic Lipid Membrane and its Bactericidal Activity in the Presence of Metal Ions.

Abstract

The relationship between the adsorption behavior of an anionic surfactant , sodium 1octanesulfonate, onto a synthetic lipid membrane and its bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 in the presence of various cations was studied. The amounts of the sulfonate/cation mixtures adsorbed were estimated by observing frequency changes of a membrane-coated quartz-crystal microbalance. Among all cations tested, trivalent cations most effectively promoted the adsorption of the surfactant onto the membrane. Divalent cations were also effective, but substantially less so than trivalent cations. The adsorption behavior of the surfactant/cation mixtures onto the membrane was closely related to the bactericidal activity of their mixtures against E. coli.