Cationic surfactants are widely used as antimicrobial agents in various fields. However, the widespread use of cationic surfactants has caused huge accumulation in environment, triggering the emergence of bacterial resistance. Besides, due to the strong cytotoxicity, most of cationic surfactants are limited in practical applications. Therefore, constant attention has been paid on how to rationally design the surfactants for achieving highly efficient antimicrobial activity at lower doses, but simultaneously presenting low toxic side effects. In this review, we mainly focus on recent advances in the key structural determinants of antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of cationic surfactants, as well as the design strategies of effective antimicrobial surfactants with low cytotoxicity.

阳离子表面活性剂在各种领域中广泛用作抗菌剂。然而，阳离子表面活性剂的广泛使用已引起环境中的大量积累，引发了细菌抗性的出现。此外，由于强的细胞毒性，大多数阳离子表面活性剂在实际应用中受到限制。因此，一直在不断关注如何合理设计表面活性剂以在较低剂量下实现高效的抗菌活性，同时又表现出低毒副作用。在这篇综述中，我们主要关注阳离子表面活性剂的抗菌活性和细胞毒性的关键结构决定因素的最新进展，以及低细胞毒性的有效抗菌表面活性剂的设计策略。