1.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother
; 55(7): 3594-7, 2011 Jul.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21555769
ABSTRACT
We compared the abilities of structurally related cationic cyclodextrins to inhibit Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin and Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin. We found that both ß- and γ-cyclodextrin derivatives effectively inhibited anthrax toxin action by blocking the transmembrane oligomeric pores formed by the protective antigen (PA) subunit of the toxin, whereas α-cyclodextrins were ineffective. In contrast, α-hemolysin was selectively blocked only by ß-cyclodextrin derivatives, demonstrating that both symmetry and size of the inhibitor and the pore are important.