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. 2025 Apr 11;30(8):1712.
doi: 10.3390/molecules30081712.

Phytotoxicity, Cytotoxicity, and Antimicrobial Activity of Triethanolammonium Amino Acids Salts

Barbara Hanna Roman  1 , Magdalena Charęza  2 , Radosław Drozd  2 , Martyna Sokołowska  3 , Peter Sobolewski  3 , Ewa Janus  1
Affiliations

Phytotoxicity, Cytotoxicity, and Antimicrobial Activity of Triethanolammonium Amino Acids Salts

Barbara Hanna Roman et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

The growing use of ionic liquids (ILs) necessitates an understanding of their environmental impact and toxicity levels. In this study, a series of amino acid-based ionic liquids containing the triethanolammonium (TEA) cation were evaluated for their biological activity against Lepidium sativum L., the mouse fibroblast cell line L929, a selection of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and the yeast Candida albicans. The influence of amino acid anion structure on toxicity was also examined. Among the tested ionic liquids, [TEA][Asp] exhibited low toxicity toward Lepidium sativum L., representing terrestrial plants, while [TEA][Phe] showed the lowest cytotoxicity. Regarding microbial activity, [TEA][Lys] demonstrated greater bactericidal effectiveness against E. coli than S. aureus, while both [TEA][Lys] and [TEA][Arg] exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect against C. albicans. Our findings underscore the crucial role of IL salt composition in determining biological activity, highlighting the significance of interactions between IL components in shaping their potential effects.

Keywords: amino acids ionic liquids; antimicrobial activity; cytotoxicity; phytotoxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Structure of triethanolammonium salts of various amino acids.
Figure 1
Figure 1
The inhibition level of cress seed germination (%ISG) by TEA salts with polar amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The inhibition level of cress seed germination (%ISG) by TEA salts with non-polar amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The inhibition level of cress seed germination (%ISG) by TEA salts with basic amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The inhibition level of cress seed germination (%ISG) by TEA salts with acidic amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The inhibition level of cress root growth (%IRG) by TEA salts with polar amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The inhibition level of cress root growth (%IRG) by TEA salts with non-polar amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The inhibition level of cress root growth (%IRG) by TEA salts with basic amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The inhibition level of cress root growth (%IRG) by TEA salts with acidic amino acids depending on their concentration; mean value of three replicates, error bars sign a standard deviation.
Figure 9
Figure 9
The ED50 values for L929 fibroblasts after 24 h exposure to [TEA][AA] salts. The error bars indicate a standard error of the mean value.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The ED50 values for L929 fibroblasts after 48 h exposure to [TEA][AA] salts. The error bars indicate a standard error of the mean value.
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