Antimicrobial peptides that act by disrupting bacterial membranes are attractive agents for treating drug-resistant bacteria. This study investigates a membrane-disrupting peptide mimic made of a cyclic oligosaccharide cyclodextrin scaffold that can be chemically polyfunctionalized. An antibacterial functional group on the peptide was simplified to an alkylamino group that combines cationic and hydrophobic moieties, the former to interact with the anionic bacterial membrane and the latter with the membrane interior. The cyclodextrins equipped with eight alkylamino groups on the molecules using a poly-click reaction exhibited antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including drug-resistant pathogens such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Several lines of evidence showed that these agents disrupt bacterial membranes, leading to rapid bacterial cell death. The resulting membrane perturbation was directly visualized using high-speed atomic force microscopy imaging. In Gram-negative bacteria, the membrane-permeabilizing action of these derivatives allowed the entry of co-treated traditional antibiotics, which were then active against these bacteria.
© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.