Abstract
Co-solvents ethanol, propylene glycol and glycerol were used to increase the aqueous concentrations of methyl and propyl p-hydroxybenzoate above their saturation solubility. The increased aqueous concentration of parabens in co-solvent solutions was associated with increased antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but the extent of this effect increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the co-solvent. Addition of co-solvents to aqueous solutions of parabens caused a reduction in their octanol/water partitioning and a reduction in the uptake of the parabens by the cells, the extent of the reduction increasing as the hydrophobicity of the co-solvent increased. The addition of co-solvents also potentiated cell membrane damage as evidenced by leakage of radio-labelled phosphate from parabens-treated cells, but in this situation the extent of the damage was correlated with increasing hydrophobicity of the co-solvent. The results indicate that the increase in antibacterial activity of parabens preservatives in co-solvent solutions can largely be accounted for by their combined effects on the integrity of the cell membrane.
Published Version
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