Adsorption of CMIT/MIT on the Model Pulmonary Surfactant Monolayers

Abstract

IntroductionGuanidine-based antimicrobials have been widely employed for the disinfection, sterilization, and preservation of various products, such as food and cosmetics 1−4) . The efficacy of polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) is primarily attributed to the robust interaction between the positively charged guanidine group at physiological pH and the negatively charged phosphatidylglycerol (PG) lipid bilayer in the bacterial cell membranes 5−7) . In contrast, PHMG has negligible effects on zwitterionic lipid membranes, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) , the primary components of fish and mammalian cell membranes 8, 9) . For these reasons, guanidine-based antimicrobials are believed not to harm host cells and selectively target only microorganisms intended for destruction.However, a few traumatic incidents have recently killed or induced permanent disabilities in many people. In South Korea, PHMG was used as a humidifier disinfectant additive from 1998 to 2011, which resulted in more than 1,500