Effects of Polyhexamethylene Biguanide and Polyquaternium-1 on Phospholipid Bilayer Structure and Dynamics

Multipurpose solutions (MPS) are a single solution that functions to simultaneously rinse, disinfect, clean, and store soft contact lenses. Several commercial MPS products contain polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) and/or polyquaternium-1 (PQ-1) as antimicrobial agents. In this paper we have created an in vitro small unilamellar vesicle (SUV) model of the corneal epithelial surface, and we have assessed the interactions of PHMB and PQ-1 with several model biomembranes by using fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence were used to assess the membrane acyl chain and polar headgroup region local microenvironment as a function of added PHMB or PQ-1. DLS was used to detect and quantify SUV aggregation induced by PHMB and PQ-1. LC-MS was used to determine the liposomal composition from any precipitated materials in comparison to the as-prepared SUVs. The results are consistent with PHMB adsorbing onto and PQ-1 intercalating into the biomembrane structure. The differences between the two interaction mechanisms have substantial impacts on the biomembrane dynamics and stability.