The bactericidal potency of ionic liquids (ILs) is well-established, yet their precise mechanism of action remains elusive. Here, we show evidence that the bactericidal action of ILs primarily involves permeabilizing the bacterial cell membrane. Our findings reveal that ILs exert their effects by directly interacting with the lipid bilayer and enhancing the membrane dynamics. Lateral lipid diffusion is accelerated which in turn augments membrane permeability, ultimately leading to bacterial death. Furthermore, our results establish a significant connection: an increase in the alkyl chain length of ILs correlates with a notable enhancement in both lipid lateral diffusion and antimicrobial potency. This underscores a compelling correlation between membrane dynamics and antimicrobial effectiveness, providing valuable insights for the rational design and optimization of IL-based antimicrobial agents in healthcare applications.
@article{arxiv.2404.06739,
title = {The Physics of Antimicrobial Activity of Ionic Liquids},
author = {V. K. Sharma and J. Gupta and J. Bhatt Mitra and H. Srinivasan and V. García Sakai and S. K. Ghosh and S. Mitra},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.06739},
year = {2024}
}