Selenium, Metals and Trace Elements in Novel Antimicrobial Compounds

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Novel Antimicrobial Agents".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 9325

Special Issue Editor

Instituto de Química Orgánica General, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQOG-CSIC) Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain
Interests: selenium; anticancer research; antibacterial activity; cancer multidrug resistance; bacterial multidrug resistance; efflux pumps; medicinal chemistry; organic synthesis; selenium chemistry; antifungal activity
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The search for novel antibiotics and antifungal agents is crucial today due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi. In the bacterial field, we urgently need to open innovative approaches in the search of novel antibiotics that differ from the classic one of seeking novel drugs based on modifications of existing antibiotics or in natural products. In this context and according to previous works, a promising strategy is designing novel compounds that include elements typically not found in organic compounds, such as selenium, tellurium, silver, palladium, or organic complexes of metals such as ruthenium, rhodium, or zinc, among others. A second approach is the preparation of metallic or non-metallic nanoparticles of these elements, and a third possibility is the use of their inorganic salts, either alone or in combination with existing antibiotics. In this Special Issue, we aim to present an overview of the recent discoveries in the use of all these elements in antimicrobial research. Articles that report the antibacterial or antimicrobial activity of compounds, nanoparticles, or salts of elements non-typically found in standard antibiotics and antifungal agents are welcomed.

Dr. Enrique Domínguez-Álvarez
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Antibacterial activity of novel compounds
  • Antifungal activity of novel compounds
  • Medicinal chemistry
  • Bioorganic chemistry
  • Selenium chemistry
  • Multidrug resistance
  • Nanoparticles
  • Metallic organic complexes, Multidrug resistant bacteria

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 6003 KiB  
Article
To Cut the Mustard: Antimicrobial Activity of Selenocyanates on the Plate and in the Gas Phase
by Muhammad Sarfraz, Muhammad Jawad Nasim, Martin C. H. Gruhlke, Jadwiga Handzlik and Claus Jacob
Antibiotics 2023, 12(2), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12020290 - 01 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1349
Abstract
Organic selenocyanates (RSeCN) are among the most reactive and biologically active Se species, often exhibiting a pronounced cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells and microorganisms. Various aromatic selenocyanates have been synthesized and, similar to some of the most Reactive Sulfur Species (RSS), such as [...] Read more.
Organic selenocyanates (RSeCN) are among the most reactive and biologically active Se species, often exhibiting a pronounced cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells and microorganisms. Various aromatic selenocyanates have been synthesized and, similar to some of the most Reactive Sulfur Species (RSS), such as allicin, found to be active against a range of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas syringae and Micrococcus luteus, and fungi, including Verticillium dahlia, Verticillium longisporum, Alternaria brassicicola, and Botrytis cinerea, even via the gas phase. The highest antimicrobial activity has been observed for benzyl selenocyanate, which inhibited the growth of all bacteria considerably, even at the lowest tested concentration of 50 µM. Notably, neither the analogues thiocyanate (BTC) nor isothiocyanate (BITC) show any of these activities, rendering this selenium motif rather special in activity and mode of action. Eventually, these findings advocate a range of potential applications of organic selenocyanates in medicine and agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selenium, Metals and Trace Elements in Novel Antimicrobial Compounds)
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17 pages, 1363 KiB  
Article
Exploring Titanium(IV) Complexes as Potential Antimicrobial Compounds
by Israel Rodríguez, Lauren Fernández-Vega, Andrea N. Maser-Figueroa, Branlee Sang, Patricia González-Pagán and Arthur D. Tinoco
Antibiotics 2022, 11(2), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11020158 - 26 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3937
Abstract
Due to the rapid mutation of pathogenic microorganisms, drug-resistant superbugs have evolved. Antimicrobial-resistant germs may share their resistance genes with other germs, making them untreatable. The search for more combative antibiotic compounds has led researchers to explore metal-based strategies centered on perturbing the [...] Read more.
Due to the rapid mutation of pathogenic microorganisms, drug-resistant superbugs have evolved. Antimicrobial-resistant germs may share their resistance genes with other germs, making them untreatable. The search for more combative antibiotic compounds has led researchers to explore metal-based strategies centered on perturbing the bioavailability of essential metals in microbes and examining the therapeutic potential of metal complexes. Given the limited knowledge on the application of titanium(IV), in this work, eight Ti(IV) complexes and some of their corresponding ligands were screened by the Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery for antimicrobial activity. The compounds were selected for evaluation because of their low cytotoxic/antiproliferative behavior against a human non-cancer cell line. At pH 7.4, these compounds vary in terms of their solution stability and ligand exchange lability; therefore, an assessment of their solution behavior provides some insight regarding the importance of the identity of the metal compound to the antimicrobial therapeutic potential. Only one compound, Ti(deferasirox)2, exhibited promising inhibitory activity against the Gram-positive bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and minimal toxicity against human cells. The ability of this compound to undergo transmetalation with labile Fe(III) sources and, as a consequence, inhibit Fe bioavailability and ribonucleotide reductase is evaluated as a possible mechanism for its antibiotic effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selenium, Metals and Trace Elements in Novel Antimicrobial Compounds)
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12 pages, 1375 KiB  
Article
Novel Seleno- and Thio-Urea Containing Dihydropyrrol-2-One Analogues as Antibacterial Agents
by Shekh Sabir, Tsz Tin Yu, Rajesh Kuppusamy, Basmah Almohaywi, George Iskander, Theerthankar Das, Mark D. P. Willcox, David StClair Black and Naresh Kumar
Antibiotics 2021, 10(3), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10030321 - 19 Mar 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2994
Abstract
The quorum sensing (QS) system in multi-drug-resistant bacteria such as P. aeruginosa is primarily responsible for the development of antibiotic resistance and is considered an attractive target for antimicrobial drug discovery. In this study, we synthesised a series of novel selenourea and thiourea-containing [...] Read more.
The quorum sensing (QS) system in multi-drug-resistant bacteria such as P. aeruginosa is primarily responsible for the development of antibiotic resistance and is considered an attractive target for antimicrobial drug discovery. In this study, we synthesised a series of novel selenourea and thiourea-containing dihydropyrrol-2-one (DHP) analogues as LasR antagonists. The selenium DHP derivatives displayed significantly better quorum-sensing inhibition (QSI) activities than the corresponding sulphur analogues. The most potent analogue 3e efficiently inhibited the las QS system by 81% at 125 µM and 53% at 31 µM. Additionally, all the compounds were screened for their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the Gram-positive bacterium S. aureus, and interestingly, only the selenium analogues showed antibacterial activity, with 3c and 3e being the most potent with a MIC of 15.6 µM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selenium, Metals and Trace Elements in Novel Antimicrobial Compounds)
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