Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of 1-alkylquinolinium bromide ionic liquids

Quinoline derivatives are known to possess a range of bioactive and medicinal activities, which have been exploited in the design of antibacterial, antifungal and antimalarial compounds. In this study, we report on the microbiological toxicity of a series of 1-alkylquinolinium bromides against a range of clinically relevant microorganisms, in both planktonic and sessile (biofilm) cultures. A comparison of antimicrobial activity against planktonic bacteria and established biofilms is presented. In general, 1-alkylquinolinium ionic liquids possess excellent, broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against microorganisms grown in both the planktonic and sessile, or biofilm, mode of growth. Importantly, these compounds are potent against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, as well as fungi, with a clear dependency on length of the alkyl substituent for activity, with compounds containing twelve and fourteen carbons in the alkyl group exhibiting highest antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity. © 2010 The Royal Society of Chemistry.