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Clinical Journal of the American... Feb 2018
Topics: Acid-Base Equilibrium; Acidosis, Renal Tubular; Ammonium Compounds; Humans; Kidney Diseases
PubMed: 29311217
DOI: 10.2215/CJN.13791217 -
Journal of the American Society of... Aug 2017
Topics: Acidosis; Ammonium Compounds; Humans; Hypertension, Renal; Nephritis; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
PubMed: 28630230
DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2017040470 -
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection... Apr 2023Due to the substantial increase in the use of disinfectants containing quaternary ammonion compounds (QACs) in healthcare and community settings during the COVID-19... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Due to the substantial increase in the use of disinfectants containing quaternary ammonion compounds (QACs) in healthcare and community settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increased concern that heavy use might cause bacteria to develop resistance to QACs or contribute to antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this review is to briefly discuss the mechanisms of QAC tolerance and resistance, laboratory-based evidence of tolerance and resistance, their occurrence in healthcare and other real-world settings, and the possible impact of QAC use on antibiotic resistance.
METHODS
A literature search was conducted using the PubMed database. The search was limited to English language articles dealing with tolerance or resistance to QACs present in disinfectants or antiseptics, and potential impact on antibiotic resistance. The review covered the period from 2000 to mid-Jan 2023.
RESULTS
Mechanisms of QAC tolerance or resistance include innate bacterial cell wall structure, changes in cell membrane structure and function, efflux pumps, biofilm formation, and QAC degradation. In vitro studies have helped elucidate how bacteria can develop tolerance or resistance to QACs and antibiotics. While relatively uncommon, multiple episodes of contaminated in-use disinfectants and antiseptics, which are often due to inappropriate use of products, have caused outbreaks of healthcare-associated infections. Several studies have identified a correlation between benzalkonium chloride (BAC) tolerance and clinically-defined antibiotic resistance. The occurrence of mobile genetic determinants carrying multiple genes that encode for QAC or antibiotic tolerance raises the concern that widespread QAC use might facilitate the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Despite some evidence from laboratory-based studies, there is insufficient evidence in real-world settings to conclude that frequent use of QAC disinfectants and antiseptics has promoted widespread emergence of antibiotic resistance.
CONCLUSIONS
Laboratory studies have identified multiple mechanisms by which bacteria can develop tolerance or resistance to QACs and antibiotics. De novo development of tolerance or resistance in real-world settings is uncommon. Increased attention to proper use of disinfectants is needed to prevent contamination of QAC disinfectants. Additional research is needed to answer many questions and concerns related to use of QAC disinfectants and their potential impact on antibiotic resistance.
Topics: Humans; Disinfectants; Anti-Infective Agents, Local; Ammonium Compounds; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Pandemics; COVID-19; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Bacteria; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37055844
DOI: 10.1186/s13756-023-01241-z -
Journal of Oleo Science 2021Quaternary ammonium compounds are widely used as antiseptic and disinfectant. It is been a concern that their widespread use will lead to an increase of environmental...
Quaternary ammonium compounds are widely used as antiseptic and disinfectant. It is been a concern that their widespread use will lead to an increase of environmental problems, therefore the development of biodegradable surfactants is necessary. The present research is aimed at the design of novel amphiphilic molecules with similar properties to those already known but more biodegradable. Based on benzalkonium chloride (BAC), novel carbonate cleavable surfactants (CBAC) were synthesized. The breakable carbonate sites make CBAC compounds more degradable and potentially more biodegradable than their non-cleavable BAC analogues. Natural products such as fatty alcohols (C-C) and N,N-dimethyl-2-aminoethanol were used as reagents for the synthesis of CBAC8-16. These amphiphilic compounds were characterized in terms of surface properties and antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and moulds. The novel surfactants showed similar surface activities in aqueous solutions when compared to BAC. Also, the surface activity/structure relationship revealed that carbonate cleavable surfactants with n-decyl group (CBAC10) showed the same behaviour as non-cleavable BAC. Furthermore, compounds containing n-octyl (CBAC8), n-decyl (CBAC10) and n-dodecyl (CBAC12) group showed strong antimicrobial activities.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents, Local; Benzalkonium Compounds; Biodegradation, Environmental; Carbonates; Deanol; Disinfectants; Fatty Alcohols; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Indicators and Reagents; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Structure-Activity Relationship; Surface Properties; Surface-Active Agents
PubMed: 33431773
DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess20216 -
Current Biology : CB Jun 2022Plants need at least 13 different nutrients to maintain optimal growth. Nitrogen and phosphorus, from the Greek 'phôs' (meaning 'light') and 'phoros' (meaning...
Plants need at least 13 different nutrients to maintain optimal growth. Nitrogen and phosphorus, from the Greek 'phôs' (meaning 'light') and 'phoros' (meaning 'bearer'), are the main nutrients limiting plant growth in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. Agriculture has relied heavily since the mid 1950s on the use of synthetic ammonium- and phosphorus-based fertilizers to increase crop productivity. While industrial synthesis of ammonium relies on the chemical conversion of atmospheric nitrogen, phosphorus is mined from finite reserves concentrated in a few countries. Considering our current dependence on phosphorus fertilizers for food production and the geopolitical aspects associated with current resources, it will be important to develop technologies enabling the maintenance of high crop yield with reduced fertilizer input. This will require an in-depth knowledge on the various pathways that enable plants to acquire phosphorus from the soil and maximize its economical use for growth and reproduction. In this primer, we give an overview of the factors limiting phosphorus acquisition by plants and highlight various pathways and strategies plants have evolved at the level of development, metabolism and signal transduction to adapt to phosphorus deficiency.
Topics: Agriculture; Ammonium Compounds; Ecosystem; Fertilizers; Nitrogen; Phosphates; Phosphorus; Plants; Soil
PubMed: 35728542
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.073 -
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Jun 2024Antimicrobial surfaces limit the spread of infectious diseases. To date, there is no antimicrobial coating that has widespread use because of short-lived and limited...
Antimicrobial surfaces limit the spread of infectious diseases. To date, there is no antimicrobial coating that has widespread use because of short-lived and limited spectrum efficacy, poor resistance to organic material, and/or cost. Here, we present a paint based on waterborne latex particles that is supramolecularly associated with quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs). The optimal supramolecular pairing was first determined by immobilizing selected ions on self-assembled monolayers exposing different groups. The QAC surface loading density was then increased by using polymer brushes. These concepts were adopted to develop inexpensive paints to be applied on many different surfaces. The paint could be employed for healthcare and food production applications. Its slow release of QAC allows for long-lasting antimicrobial action, even in the presence of organic material. Its efficacy lasts for more than 90 washes, and importantly, once lost, it can readily be restored by spraying an aqueous solution of the QAC. We mainly tested cetyltrimethylammonium as QAC as it is already used in consumer care products. Our antimicrobial paint is broad spectrum as it showed excellent antimicrobial efficiency against four bacteria and four viruses.
Topics: Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Anti-Infective Agents; Paint; Surface Properties; Latex; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Bacteria
PubMed: 38825754
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c04705 -
The EMBO Journal Jul 2023Enteric bacteria use up to 15% of their cellular energy for ammonium assimilation via glutamine synthetase (GS)/glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase...
Enteric bacteria use up to 15% of their cellular energy for ammonium assimilation via glutamine synthetase (GS)/glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) in response to varying ammonium availability. However, the sensory mechanisms for effective and appropriate coordination between carbon metabolism and ammonium assimilation have not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that in Salmonella enterica, carbon metabolism coordinates the activities of GS/GDH via functionally reversible protein lysine acetylation. Glucose promotes Pat acetyltransferase-mediated acetylation and activation of adenylylated GS. Simultaneously, glucose induces GDH acetylation to inactivate the enzyme by impeding its catalytic centre, which is reversed upon GDH deacetylation by deacetylase CobB. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate that adenylylation is required for acetylation-dependent activation of GS. We show that acetylation and deacetylation occur within minutes of "glucose shock" to promptly adapt to ammonium/carbon variation and finely balance glutamine/glutamate synthesis. Finally, in a mouse infection model, reduced S. enterica growth caused by the expression of adenylylation-mimetic GS is rescued by acetylation-mimicking mutations. Thus, glucose-driven acetylation integrates signals from ammonium assimilation and carbon metabolism to fine-tune bacterial growth control.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Ammonium Compounds; Salmonella enterica; Acetylation; Carbon; Glucose; Glutamate Dehydrogenase; Nitrogen
PubMed: 37183585
DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022112333 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Jan 2015Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are among the most commonly used disinfectants. There has been concern that their widespread use will lead to the development of... (Review)
Review
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are among the most commonly used disinfectants. There has been concern that their widespread use will lead to the development of resistant organisms, and it has been suggested that limits should be place on their use. While increases in tolerance to QACs have been observed, there is no clear evidence to support the development of resistance to QACs. Since efflux pumps are believe to account for at least some of the increased tolerance found in bacteria, there has been concern that this will enhance the resistance of bacteria to certain antibiotics. QACs are membrane-active agents interacting with the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria and lipids of viruses. The wide variety of chemical structures possible has seen an evolution in their effectiveness and expansion of applications over the last century, including non-lipid-containing viruses (i.e., noroviruses). Selection of formulations and methods of application have been shown to affect the efficacy of QACs. While numerous laboratory studies on the efficacy of QACs are available, relatively few studies have been conducted to assess their efficacy in practice. Better standardized tests for assessing and defining the differences between increases in tolerance versus resistance are needed. The ecological dynamics of microbial communities where QACs are a main line of defense against exposure to pathogens need to be better understood in terms of sublethal doses and antibiotic resistance.
Topics: Bacteria; Disinfectants; Disinfection; Drug Resistance; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Viruses
PubMed: 25362069
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02633-14 -
International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2015Polymeric materials containing quaternary ammonium and/or phosphonium salts have been extensively studied and applied to a variety of antimicrobial-relevant areas. With... (Review)
Review
Polymeric materials containing quaternary ammonium and/or phosphonium salts have been extensively studied and applied to a variety of antimicrobial-relevant areas. With various architectures, polymeric quaternary ammonium/phosphonium salts were prepared using different approaches, exhibiting different antimicrobial activities and potential applications. This review focuses on the state of the art of antimicrobial polymers with quaternary ammonium/phosphonium salts. In particular, it discusses the structure and synthesis method, mechanisms of antimicrobial action, and the comparison of antimicrobial performance between these two kinds of polymers.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Structure; Organophosphorus Compounds; Polymers; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
PubMed: 25667977
DOI: 10.3390/ijms16023626 -
Journal of the American Dental... Dec 2022This narrative review addresses dental restorative materials with sustained antibacterial action, especially those containing quaternary ammonium compounds. Secondary... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
This narrative review addresses dental restorative materials with sustained antibacterial action, especially those containing quaternary ammonium compounds. Secondary caries occurs around restorations, causing further loss of mineral and breakdown of the restoration. Lesions adjacent to restorations account for more than 40% of needed restorations. Restorative materials with antibacterial properties will potentially solve this problem.
TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED
Several groups are researching composite restorative materials that incorporate antibacterial agents. These agents are mostly exhausted over time. Newer studies involve materials that incorporate antibacterial microparticles that remain active and do not leach out.
RESULTS
One such antibacterial agent, quaternary ammonium coupled with inorganic silica into minute particles (QASi), has been studied in the laboratory and in humans. QASi particles incorporated into dental materials retain their antibacterial action over time without leaching or loss of activity. A clinical in situ study in humans using dental composite containing QASi resulted in highly significantly less demineralization in the adjacent enamel than the control composite material.
CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Dental restorative materials that contain QASi have sustained antibacterial properties, have mechanical properties comparable to those of presently marketed materials, and have been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration. Clinical studies have shown that composites incorporating QASi have the potential to markedly reduce the occurrence of caries around restorations. Because caries around restorations is a major problem, restorative materials with sustained antibacterial properties will have an important effect in reducing secondary caries around restorations.
Topics: Humans; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Composite Resins; Dental Caries; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Dental Enamel; Dental Materials; Dental Restoration, Permanent
PubMed: 36272816
DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2022.09.006