Nontoxic Membrane‐Active Antimicrobial Arylamide Oligomers

Abstract

Cracking the case: Aryl amide oligomers with amphiphilic secondary structure were designed that attack bacteria by lysing their membranes. A variety of groups were appended to the lead compound to adjust its overall charge, hydrophobicity, and hydrophobic moment. An Arg-containing oligomer (see figure) was found to have good antimicrobial activity and low toxicity towards human erythrocytes. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2004/z52791_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.