biostudies-literatureGarcia MTMCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033CSICMCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and "ESF Investing in your futureMCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe140https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12452389biostudies-literatureUnknown15(5)Due to the growing emergence of bacterial and fungal resistance, there is an urgent need for novel antimicrobial compounds. Cationic surfactants are effective antimicrobial agents; however, traditional quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are increasingly scrutinized due to their cytotoxicity, poor biodegradability, and harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems. While the antimicrobial efficacy of many new biocides, including QACs, has been extensively studied, comprehensive experimental strategies that simultaneously assess antimicrobial activity, mammalian cell toxicity, and ecotoxicity remain limited. Recent studies have reported that amino-acid-based surfactants containing arginine-phenylalanine and arginine-tryptophan exhibit excellent antibacterial activity and are biodegradable. This woJournal of xenobioticsArginine-Derived Cationic Surfactants Containing Phenylalanine and Tryptophan: Evaluation of Antifungal Activity, Biofilm Eradication, Cytotoxicity, and Ecotoxicity.PMC12452389PTA2020-018511-IGrant PRE2022-000837COOPA23026Grant PID2022-136354-NBI00Vazquez SGarcia MTPons RMoran MCBautista EPerez LHafidi ZfalseArginine-Derived Cationic Surfactants Containing Phenylalanine and Tryptophan: Evaluation of Antifungal Activity, Biofilm Eradication, Cytotoxicity, and Ecotoxicity.Due to the growing emergence of bacterial and fungal resistance, there is an urgent need for novel antimicrobial compounds. Cationic surfactants are effective antimicrobial agents; however, traditional quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are increasingly scrutinized due to their cytotoxicity, poor biodegradability, and harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems. While the antimicrobial efficacy of many new biocides, including QACs, has been extensively studied, comprehensive experimental strategies that simultaneously assess antimicrobial activity, mammalian cell toxicity, and ecotoxicity remain limited. Recent studies have reported that amino-acid-based surfactants containing arginine-phenylalanine and arginine-tryptophan exhibit excellent antibacterial activity and are biodegradable. This wo2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Sep2026-04-30T03:18:49.814Z2026-04-30T03:11:52.958ZS-EPMC124523894098135110.3390/jox15050140