Study

The antimicrobial polymer PHMB enters cells and selectively condenses bacterial chromosomes.

Study
The antimicrobial polymer PHMB enters cells and selectively condenses bacterial chromosomes.
from
Chindera K, Mahato M, Sharma AK, Horsley H, Kloc-Muniak K, Kamaruzzaman NF, Kumar S, McFarlane A, Stach J, Bentin T, Good L
Publication Year
2016
Published in
Sci Rep 6: 23121
DOI
10.1038/srep23121
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Next to membrane disruption, PHMB binds to bacterial but not mammalian DNA and causes DNA condensation and cell death.

For polyhexanide (PHMB), the accepted mode of action is membrane disruption. Additionally, PHMB was found to enter bacterial cells and bind to DNA, which ultimately caused cell death. In mammalian cells, PHMB does not reach the DNA. Due to the special mode of action, a bacterial resistance against PHMB is unlikely.

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