Bacteriostatic Activities of a -Glyceryl and a -Glycidyl Phenyl Ethers for Escherichia coli B. ∗

Lilley and Brewer, in 1953(1), reported the inhibitory effect of phenethyl alcohol (PEA) on gram-negative bacteria. In 1962, Berrah and Konetzka(2) reported that the effect of PEA on Escherichia coli was due to a specific inhibition of DNA synthesis. It was later shown by Khafagy and Lambooy(3) and by Rosenkranz et al(4) that the compound also inhibited RNA and protein synthesis in this microorganism.

Khafagy and Lambooy(5) found 15 ring-substituted analogs of phenethyl alcohol to be active in varying degrees in inhibiting E. coli. The most potent of these, pmethoxyphenethyl alcohol, was found to be 6 times as potent as PEA. They also reported phenethylamine and p-methoxyphenethylamine to be good inhibitors in the same organism; both compounds being more potent than PEA. This raises a question concerning the need for a hydroxyl group on the side chain to insure activity. Rosenkranz et al(3) found the organism was also inhibited by cinnamyl alcohol (the hydroxyl group removed by 3 carbon atoms from the ring) and _a,a-dimethylibenzyl alcohol (the hydroxyl group removed by 1 carbon atom from the ring).