Metal-Organic Synthetic Transporters (MOST): Efficient Chloride and Antibiotic Transmembrane Transporters

Abstract

We present the synthesis of two functionalized 2,4,7-triphenylbenzimidazole ligands and demonstrate the formation of their respective metal assemblies in phospholipid membranes. Anion transport experiments demonstrate the formation of metal-organic synthetic transporters (MOST) directly in phospholipid membranes. The formation of MOST in phospholipid membranes results in efficient architectures for chloride transport. We also demonstrate the insertion of these ligands and the formation of their metal-organic assemblies in bacterial membranes; the use of MOST makes the membranes of resistant bacteria more permeable to antibiotics. We also demonstrate that a combination of MOST with tetracycline lowers the sensitivity of resistant bacteria to tetracycline by 60-fold.

Keywords: anions; antibacterial; membranes; metal-organic assemblies; transmembrane transport.