scholarly journals Biological Effects of Quinolones: A Family of Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (23) ◽  
pp. 7153
Author(s):  
Ana R. Millanao ◽  
Aracely Y. Mora ◽  
Nicolás A. Villagra ◽  
Sergio A. Bucarey ◽  
Alejandro A. Hidalgo

Broad antibacterial spectrum, high oral bioavailability and excellent tissue penetration combined with safety and few, yet rare, unwanted effects, have made the quinolones class of antimicrobials one of the most used in inpatients and outpatients. Initially discovered during the search for improved chloroquine-derivative molecules with increased anti-malarial activity, today the quinolones, intended as antimicrobials, comprehend four generations that progressively have been extending antimicrobial spectrum and clinical use. The quinolone class of antimicrobials exerts its antimicrobial actions through inhibiting DNA gyrase and Topoisomerase IV that in turn inhibits synthesis of DNA and RNA. Good distribution through different tissues and organs to treat Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria have made quinolones a good choice to treat disease in both humans and animals. The extensive use of quinolones, in both human health and in the veterinary field, has induced a rise of resistance and menace with leaving the quinolones family ineffective to treat infections. This review revises the evolution of quinolones structures, biological activity, and the clinical importance of this evolving family. Next, updated information regarding the mechanism of antimicrobial activity is revised. The veterinary use of quinolones in animal productions is also considered for its environmental role in spreading resistance. Finally, considerations for the use of quinolones in human and veterinary medicine are discussed.

Chemotherapy ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Socorro Leyva-Ramos ◽  
Denisse de Loera ◽  
Jaime Cardoso-Ortiz

Background: Fluoroquinolones are widely prescribed synthetic antimicrobial agents. Quinolones act by converting their targets, gyrase and topoisomerase IV, into toxic enzymes that fragment the bacterial chromosome; the irreversible DNA damage eventually causes the killing of bacteria. Thorough knowledge of the structure-activity relationship of quinolones is essential for the development of new drugs with improved activity against resistant strains. Methods: The compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity against 4 representing strains using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone using concentrations between 250 and 0.004 μg/mL. Results: MIC of derivatives 2, 3, and 4 showed potent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The effective concentrations were 0.860 μg/mL or lower. MIC for compounds 5-11 were between 120 and 515 μg/mL against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and substituted hydrazinoquinolones 7-10 showed poor antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria compared with other quinolones. Conclusion: Compounds obtained by modifications on C-7 of norfloxacin with the acetylated piperazinyl, halogen atoms, and substituted hydrazinyl showed good in vitro activity - some even better than the original compound.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talita Odriane Custodio Leite ◽  
Juliana Silva Novais ◽  
Beatriz Lima Cosenza de Carvalho ◽  
Vitor Francisco Ferreira ◽  
Leonardo Alves Miceli ◽  
...  

Background: According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance is one of the most important public health threats of the 21st century. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of antimicrobial agents with new mechanism of action, especially those capable of evading known resistance mechanisms. Objective: We described the synthesis, in vitro antimicrobial evaluation, and in silico analysis of a series of 1H-indole-4,7-dione derivatives. Methods: The new series of 1H-indole-4,7-diones was prepared with good yield by using a copper(II)- mediated reaction between bromoquinone and β-enamino ketones bearing alkyl or phenyl groups attached to the nitrogen atom. The antimicrobial potential of indole derivatives was assessed. Molecular docking studies were also performed using AutoDock 4.2 for Windows. Characterization of all compounds was confirmed by one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques 1H and 13C NMR spectra [1H, 13C – APT, 1H x 1H – COSY, HSQC and HMBC], IR and mass spectrometry analysis. Results: Several indolequinone compounds showed effective antimicrobial profile against Grampositive (MIC = 16 µg.mL-1) and Gram-negative bacteria (MIC = 8 µg.mL-1) similar to antimicrobials current on the market. The 3-acetyl-1-(2,5-dimethylphenyl)-1H-indole-4,7-dione derivative exhibited an important effect against different biofilm stages formed by a serious hospital life-threatening resistant strain of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A hemocompatibility profile analysis based on in vitro hemolysis assays revealed the low toxicity effects of this new series. Indeed, in silico studies showed a good pharmacokinetics and toxicological profiles for all indolequinone derivatives, reinforcing their feasibility to display a promising oral bioavailability. An elucidation of the promising indolequinone derivatives binding mode was achieved, showing interactions with important sites to biological activity of S. aureus DNA gyrase. These results highlighted 3-acetyl-1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1Hindole- 4,7-dione derivative as broad-spectrum antimicrobial prototype to be further explored for treating bacterial infections. Conclusion: The highly substituted indolequinones were obtained in moderate to good yields. The pharmacological study indicated that these compounds should be exploited in the search for a leading substance in a project aimed at obtaining new antimicrobials effective against Gram-negative bacteria.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Martins ◽  
Matthew P McCusker ◽  
Miguel Viveiros ◽  
Isabel Couto ◽  
Séamus Fanning ◽  
...  

It is known that bacteria showing a multi-drug resistance phenotype use several mechanisms to overcome the action of antibiotics. As a result, this phenotype can be a result of several mechanisms or a combination of thereof. The main mechanisms of antibiotic resistance are: mutations in target genes (such as DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV); over-expression of efflux pumps; changes in the cell envelope; down regulation of membrane porins, and modified lipopolysaccharide component of the outer cell membrane (in the case of Gram-negative bacteria). In addition, adaptation to the environment, such as quorum sensing and biofilm formation can also contribute to bacterial persistence. Due to the rapid emergence and spread of bacterial isolates showing resistance to several classes of antibiotics, methods that can rapidly and efficiently identify isolates whose resistance is due to active efflux have been developed. However, there is still a need for faster and more accurate methodologies. Conventional methods that evaluate bacterial efflux pump activity in liquid systems are available. However, these methods usually use common efflux pump substrates, such as ethidium bromide or radioactive antibiotics and therefore, require specialized instrumentation, which is not available in all laboratories. In this review, we will report the results obtained with the Ethidium Bromide-agar Cartwheel method. This is an easy, instrument-free, agar based method that has been modified to afford the simultaneous evaluation of as many as twelve bacterial strains. Due to its simplicity it can be applied to large collections of bacteria to rapidly screen for multi-drug resistant isolates that show an over-expression of their efflux systems. The principle of the method is simple and relies on the ability of the bacteria to expel a fluorescent molecule that is substrate for most efflux pumps, ethidium bromide. In this approach, the higher the concentration of ethidium bromide required to produce fluorescence of the bacterial mass, the greater the efflux capacity of the bacterial cells. We have tested and applied this method to a large number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to detect efflux activity among these multi-drug resistant isolates. The presumptive efflux activity detected by the Ethidium Bromide-agar Cartwheel method was subsequently confirmed by the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration for several antibiotics in the presence and absence of known efflux pump inhibitors.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 695
Author(s):  
Estelle J. Ramchuran ◽  
Isabel Pérez-Guillén ◽  
Linda A. Bester ◽  
René Khan ◽  
Fernando Albericio ◽  
...  

Microbial infections are a major public health concern. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been demonstrated to be a plausible alternative to the current arsenal of drugs that has become inefficient due to multidrug resistance. Herein we describe a new AMP family, namely the super-cationic peptide dendrimers (SCPDs). Although all members of the series exert some antibacterial activity, we propose that special attention should be given to (KLK)2KLLKLL-NH2 (G1KLK-L2KL2), which shows selectivity for Gram-negative bacteria and virtually no cytotoxicity in HepG2 and HEK293. These results reinforce the validity of the SCPD family as a valuable class of AMP and support G1KLK-L2KL2 as a strong lead candidate for the future development of an antibacterial agent against Gram-negative bacteria.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Nikolaidis

Newer fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin, pefloxacin, ofloxacin, enoxacin, and fleroxacin are potent antimicrobial agents against many gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa species and staphylococci-sensitive or resistant to methicillin. They are almost completely absorbed when given orally, reaching therapeutic plasma and dialysate concentrations, and their long half lives permit infrequent dosing intervals. Clinical studies on fluoroquinolones efficacy in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) infections, although not extensive, demonstrate good results. They are well tolerated and the adverse reactions, consisting mainly of gastrointestinal disturbance, were uncommon, mild, and reversible. The fluoroquinolones offer a promising alternative to standard parenteral treatments in CAPD patients, while their good oral bioavailability makes them attractive and convenient for both patients and hospital staff. However, they must be used with caution until we have more information and gain further experience.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shira Mandel ◽  
Janna Michaeli ◽  
Noa Nur ◽  
Isabelle Erbetti ◽  
Jonathan Zazoun ◽  
...  

AbstractNew antimicrobial agents are urgently needed, especially to eliminate multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria that stand for most antibiotic-resistant threats. In the following study, we present superior properties of an engineered antimicrobial peptide, OMN6, a 40-amino acid cyclic peptide based on Cecropin A, that presents high efficacy against Gram-negative bacteria with a bactericidal mechanism of action. The target of OMN6 is assumed to be the bacterial membrane in contrast to small molecule-based agents which bind to a specific enzyme or bacterial site. Moreover, OMN6 mechanism of action is effective on Acinetobacter baumannii laboratory strains and clinical isolates, regardless of the bacteria genotype or resistance-phenotype, thus, is by orders-of-magnitude, less likely for mutation-driven development of resistance, recrudescence, or tolerance. OMN6 displays an increase in stability and a significant decrease in proteolytic degradation with full safety margin on erythrocytes and HEK293T cells. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that OMN6 is an efficient, stable, and non-toxic novel antimicrobial agent with the potential to become a therapy for humans.


2020 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 103437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda M.F. Ismail ◽  
Hanan Gaber Abdulwahab ◽  
Eman Samir Nossier ◽  
Nagwan Galal El Menofy ◽  
Basma Abdelhameed Abdelkhalek

1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1274-1276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manhong Wu ◽  
Robert E. W. Hancock

ABSTRACT Both linear and cyclic derivatives of the cyclic 12-amino-acid antimicrobial peptide bactenecin were designed based on optimization of amphipathicity and charge location. In general, increasing the number of positive charges at the N and C termini and adding an extra tryptophan residue in the loop not only increased the activities against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria but also broadened the antimicrobial spectrum.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (02.1) ◽  
pp. 24S
Author(s):  
Jennifer Herrmann

Introduction: Natural products are the source of a large fraction of the current pharmaceutics available against human disease. However, the discovery of novel compounds with new mechanisms of action is becoming increasingly challenging. We focused our work on soil-dwelling Myxobacteria from highly diverse samples, which are more and more recognized as an important natural product source. Methodology: Our discovery pipeline combines traditional whole cell-based activity screens with state-of-the-art analytical techniques and a comprehensive dereplication process. Having identified an antimicrobial compound we aim at elucidating its target, MOA and MOR in diverse microbiological screens and by applying ‘omic’ technologies. Results: Two case studies of currently investigated compound classes will be highlighted. Cystobactamids are novel topoisomerase inhibitors that display very pronounced activity on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Telomycins from Streptomyces canus bind to cardiolipin and our studies revealed other putative cellular targets. Conclusion: We were able to isolate several new natural products with potent and selective activity against clinically relevant pathogens. Interestingly, underlying MOAs often differ from those of already described antimicrobial agents.


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