Synthesis, photophysical and antimicrobial activity of new water soluble ammonium quaternary benzanthrone in solution and in polylactide film

The synthesis of a new cationic water soluble fluorescent 1-[(7-oxo-7H-benzo[de]anthracen-3-ylcarbamoyl)-methyl]-triethylammonium chloride (B) has been described. Due to the presence of the quaternary amino group, the compound is soluble in water. Its photophysical characteristics in aqueous solution and organic solvents with different polarity have been determined using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The photostability of compound B has been investigated in aqueous media. The newly synthesized compound has been tested in vitro for its antimicrobial activity against eight bacterial and two yeasts cultures. The results obtained suggest that the newly synthesized compound is effective in treating the relevant pathogens and is suitable in designing new effective antimicrobial preparations. The incorporation of the compound into thin polylactic acid film and its release into water solution has been also investigated. It was demonstrated that the compound released from the polymer polylactic acid matrix exhibited a prolonged good antibacterial activity. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.