Combatting AMR: A molecular approach to the discovery of potent and non-toxic rhenium complexes active against C. albicans-MRSA co-infection

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major emerging threat to public health, causing serious issues in the successful prevention and treatment of persistent diseases. While the problem escalates, lack of financial incentive has lead major pharmaceutical companies to interrupt their antibiotic drug discovery programs. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for novel solutions outside the traditional development pathway, with emphasis on new classes of active compounds with non-classical mechanisms of action. Metal complexes are an untapped source of antibiotic potential owing to unique modes of action and a wider range of three-dimensional geometries as compared to purely organic compounds. In this study, we present the antimicrobial and antifungal efficacy of a family of rhenium tricarbonyl diimine complexes with varying ligands, charge and lipophilicity. Our study allowed the identification of potent and non-toxic complexes active in vivo against S. aureus infections at MIC doses as low as 300 ng/mL, as well as against C. albicans-MRSA mixed co-infection. The compounds are capable of suppressing the C. albicans morphogenetic yeast-to-hyphal transition, eradicating fungal-S. aureus co-infection, while showing no sign of cardio-, hepato-, hematotoxiciy or teratogenicity.

Miconazole and terbinafine induced reactive oxygen species accumulation and topical toxicity in human keratinocytes

There are an estimated 1 billion cases of superficial fungal infection globally. Fungal pathogens form biofilms within wounds and delay the wound healing process. Miconazole and terbinafine are commonly used to treat fungal infections. They induce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in fungi, resulting in the death of fungal cells. ROS are highly reactive molecules, such as oxygen (O₂), superoxide anion (O₂•-), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Although ROS generation is useful for killing pathogenic fungi, it is cytotoxic to human keratinocytes. To the best of our knowledge, the effect of miconazole and terbinafine on HaCaT cells has not been studied with respect to intracellular ROS stimulation. We hypothesized that miconazole and terbinafine have anti-wound healing effects on skin cells when used in antifungal treatment because they generate ROS in fungal cells. We used sulforhodamine B protein staining to investigate cytotoxicity and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate to determine ROS accumulation at the 50% inhibitory concentrations of miconazole and terbinafine in HaCaT cells. Our preliminary results showed that topical treatment with miconazole and terbinafine induced cytotoxic responses, with miconazole showing higher cytotoxicity than terbinafine. Both the treatments stimulated ROS in keratinocytes, which may induce oxidative stress and cell death. This suggests a negative correlation between intracellular ROS accumulation in keratinocytes treated with miconazole or terbinafine and the healing of fungi-infected skin wounds.

Recent Studies on the Antimicrobial Activity of Transition Metal Complexes of Groups 6–12

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires innovative solutions to counteract new resistance mechanisms emerging and spreading globally in infectious pathogens. Classic organic antibiotics are rapidly exhausting the structural variations available for an effective antimicrobial drug and new compounds emerging from the industrial pharmaceutical pipeline will likely have a short-term and limited impact before the pathogens can adapt. Inorganic and organometallic complexes offer the opportunity to discover and develop new active antimicrobial agents by exploiting their wide range of three-dimensional geometries and virtually infinite design possibilities that can affect their substitution kinetics, charge, lipophilicity, biological targets and modes of action. This review describes recent studies on the antimicrobial activity of transition metal complexes of groups 6–12. It focuses on the effectiveness of the metal complexes in relation to the rich structural chemical variations of the same. The aim is to provide a short vade mecum for the readers interested in the subject that can complement other reviews.

Synthesis of platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with 9,9-dihexyl-4,5-diazafluorene and their in vivo antitumour activity against Hep3B xenografted mice

Two complexes dichloro(9,9-dihexyl-4,5-diazafluorene)platinum(II) (Pt-DHF) and dichloro(9,9-dihexyl-4,5-diazafluorene)palladium(II) (Pd-DHF) were synthesized and their in vivo antitumour activity was investigated using an athymic nude mice model xenografted with human Hep3B carcinoma cells. Pt-DHF- and Pd-DHF-treated groups showed significant tumour growth inhibition (with about 9-fold and 3-fold tumour growth retardation) when compared with the vehicle control group. The liver toxicology effects on the animals of the two compounds were investigated. Pt-DHF and Pd-DHF-treated groups had a lower alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase values than those of the vehicle treated group as the animals from the vehicle control group had very heavy hepatoma burden. We assume that both complexes could be further investigated as effective antitumour agents and it is worthwhile to study their underlying working mechanism.

Synthesis biological screening and molecular docking studies of some tin (IV) Schiff base adducts

The search for an alternative to platinum anticancer agents is a major motivation for continuing investigations concerning the antitumor properties of other transition metal-based compounds. Keeping this in view, synthesis, antitumor and antimicrobial activity of diorganotin (IV) complexes was studied. A novel series of diorganotin (IV) complexes of the Schiff base ligand derived from 7-methoxy-2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde, 1,2-phenylenediamine, Salicylaldehyde were synthesized. Physical and spectral examination was done through various techniques using elemental analyses, IR, ¹H, ¹³C, ¹¹⁹Sn NMR, and ^119mSn Mössbauer techniques respectively. The results obtained are in good agreement with 1:1:1 stoichiometry of Schiff base and 2:1 stoichiometry of the complexes. Octahedral geometry was assigned to all the synthesized complexes within six (6) coordination number around the tin. Antitumor activity was screened against human oral epidermoid carcinoma (KB) cell line. The diethyltin (IV) complex 2 showed the most promising cytotoxic results (IC₅₀=0.35μM) against the cell line which is comparable with cisplatin (IC₅₀=0.37μM). Docking studies revealed that these complexes can bind favorably within cisplatin binding site and the binding energy of complex 2 is more than that of cisplatin. Furthermore, binding of these complexes on human topoisomerase IIα enzyme and revealed that these complexes intercalating within the inter-strand of DNA showing interactions with DNA as well as protein that may results in DNA damage and cell death.

Antifungal study of substituted 4-pyridylmethylene-4′-aniline Schiff bases

Two substituted 4-pyridylmethylene-4′-aniline Schiff bases showed antifungal activity against.Aspergillus nigerandCandida albicans. They may be useful for the development of safe drug candidates forA. nigerandC. albicanscases of otomycosis.