Antimicrobial properties of oxygen-active disinfectants

Oxygen-active disinfectants are widely used for the nonspecific prevention of infectious diseases: hydrogen peroxide, chlorine dioxide, potassium fluoride peroxyhydrate, perborates, persulfates, perphosphates, and percarbonates. These compounds have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against bacteria (including Mycobacterium tuberculosis), viruses, fungi, and spores of bacilli.

The primary exposure “targets” exposure for oxygen-containing disinfectants are proteins and lipids in the cytoplasmic membranes of bacterial cells and the spore membranes of bacterial spores. When a bacterial cell is exposed to hydrogen peroxide at the stage of contact with the cytoplasmic membrane, hydrogen peroxide decomposes into highly reactive hydroxyl radicals, which have a destructive effect on the membranes. Hydroxyl radicals are powerful oxidizing agents, have a short existence and interact with lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Lipid oxidation, mainly unsaturated fatty acids, leads to increased membrane permeability. During the membrane protein oxidation consisting of amino acids with disulfide bonds, the latter are converted into –SH-radicals, forming cross-links at amino groups and resulting in protein-lipid complexes. The proteins are oxidized and denatured, leading to cell death. Hydroxyl radicals and other intermediate decomposition products of hydrogen peroxide, such as hydronium cation (Н₃О⁺) and perhydroxylanion (НО^2-), have damaging effects.

This article analyzes scientific papers on the mechanism of action of oxygen-active disinfectants on vegetative cells and bacterial spores.