ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF HEMIAMINAL OF 2-METHYLIMIDAZOLE AND ITS INTERACTION WITH IONIC AND NON-IONIC SURFACTANTS

Abstract

The purpose of paper was to study the antibacterial activity of 2-methyl-1-hydroxymethylimidazole, the hemiaminal of 2methylimidazole (HIM) by using macrodilution broth method and time-kill assay. Average inhibitory activity of HIM was moderate and its ability to kill bacteria was variable, and displayed a concentration-dependent pattern. Most evident inhibitory activity of HIM was found for the two Staphylococcus strains which were killed in less than 2 h of exposure at 16 MIC while the response of Gram-negative strains was more variable as time-kill dynamics, depending on the bacterial species. Interaction of HIM with some surface active agents has been also evaluated and it was found that synergistic or antagonic effects were very limited between HIM, on the one hand, and SDS and polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), on the other.