Adaptation of a bacterial membrane permeabilization assay for quantitative evaluation of benzalkonium chloride as a membrane-disrupting agent.

ABSTRACT: We describe the use of the ortho-nitrophenyl-β-galactoside (ONPG) assay developed by Lehrer et al. to which a new mathematical data treatment was applied. In this simplified assay, only one enzymatic assay is needed to provide direct evidence of the kinetics of Escherichia coli membrane permeabilization induced by different concentrations of benzalkonium chloride (BAC). Analysis of the data obtained from the revised ONPG assay with our adapted mathematical formula indicates that BAC induces permeabilization of the bacterial outer and inner membranes in a two-step process. The two effective concentration (EC₅₀) values obtained in this study, combined with the results from an outer membrane permeabilization assay, suggest that the two steps obser

SUBMITTER: Gravel J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6072009 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature