Cooperative cation co-transport by supramolecular self-associating amphiphiles

We report investigations into the cation transport ability of a series of antimicrobial supramolecular, self-associating amphiphiles (SSAs). The SSAs proved to be challenging to study using standard, literature assays and we therefore describe a novel methodology to examine cation transport via a chloride co-transport assay. One SSA in this series was observed to function as a K+ and Na+ transporter with promising deliverability properties. The results shed light on a potential mechanism of microbial toxicity and inform the design of future targets.