Relationship of Surfactant Properties of Some Synthetic Steroids to Bactericidal Action

Properties of seven azasteroids and a steroidal acid, which have been found to possess antibacterial activity, were compared with benzalkonium chloride (BAC). Bactericidal action against Gaffkya tetragena, lecithin inactivation, nemolysis of sheep erythrocytes, and the lowering of surface tension were studied. The positive relationship between surface-active properties and antibacterial activity observed with many surfactants, such as BAC, was found with only two of these steroids. Certain of the bactericidal steroids may be mechanistically similar to BAC, but the properties of the steroids studied suggest different modes of action.