Investigation of the antimicrobial effect of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) as solvents in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy.

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) are a third class of liquids, separate from water and lipids. Some NADES, especially those containing organic acids, have been suggested to possess antimicrobial properties. Such properties may be advantageous when NADES are used as solvents in e.g. antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. However, to control the toxicity of acid-containing NADES, they must retain their specific qualities upon dilution. Hence, the aims of this study were to investigate the effect of dilution on the acid-containing NADES network, their antimicrobial activity on different planktonic microorganisms, and their influence on phototoxicity when used as solvents for a photosensitiser. Four bacteria and one fungus were exposed to the NADES, CS (citric acid:sucrose) and MFG (malic acid:fructose:glucose) (molar ratios 1:1 and 1:1:1, respectively), at ≤1:200 dilution. Additionally, the antimicrobial properties of the NADES were studied in Escherichia coli in terms of pH and chelating effects. In investigations of phototoxicity, the microorganisms were exposed to the photosensitiser meso-tetra(p-hydroxyphenyl)porphine (THPP; 1nM) dissolved in diluted NADES combined with blue light (27J/cm