On the molecular mechanism of nonspecific antimicrobial action of protonated diallylammonium polymers on mycobacterial cells

• Protonated polydiallylamines exhibit biocidal action on M. smegmatis. • It was proved direct interaction of polymers with the molecules of outer membrane. • Protonated polydiallylamines bind to phenolic glycolipids via non-covalent complex. • Hydrogen bonding gives the main contribution to the energy of complexation. • Rigid cell wall of M. smegmatis is vulnerable to protonated polydiallylamines. The protonated diallylammonium polymers (PDAA) are known to possess a high antimicrobial activity relative to a broad scope of pathogens, unlike their quaternary analog poly( N, N -diallyl- N, N -dimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). Moreover, PDAA exhibits nonspecific antimicrobial activity relative to Mycobacterium tuberculosis , in contrast to known quaternary polymeric and low-molecular-weight biocides. The present paper is devoted to studying, using several physicochemical methods, the different facets of the interaction of secondary poly (diallylammonium trifluoroacetate) (PDAATFA) with Mycobacterium smegmatis – the nearest fast-growing relative of M. tuberculosis in comparison with the action of PDADMAC. We studied the interaction between polymer and phenolic glycolipids molecules (PGL) (i.e., molecules of the outer leaflet of both M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis cell wall) by FTIR. We used phenyl-β-D-glucuronide as a model compound whose structure is close to that of the glycosylated phenolic part of the PGL molecule. It was assessed the polymer effect on transmembrane potential (TM) and permeability barrier of M. smegmatis . It was studied the biocidal activity of the polymers relative to M. smegmatis . The cytotoxic effect of PDAATFA on M. smegmatis cells was analyzed by TEM. We have proved the direct interaction of polymers with the outer membrane molecules for the first time. FTIR and the rest data show a formation of the non-covalent intermolecular hydrogen-bonded complex between protonated PDAATFA polymers and phenolic glycolipids that leads to the destruction of the mycobacterial outer membrane and, as a result, cell death. We believe that because of the structural similarity of cell wall chemistry and organization, this conclusion is proper for model organism M. smegmatis and pathogenic M. tuberculosis . Contrary to expected, the action of more hydrophobic PDADMAC does not lead to a destruction of the outer membrane but to a gradual suppression of the TM potential and cell death due to inhibition of general bioenergetic processes over the extended treatment time.