Antimikrobielle Oberflächen durch Naturstoffhybride

Capturing Biological Activity in Natural Product Fragments by Chemical Synthesis

Natural products have had an immense influence on science and have directly led to the introduction of many drugs. Organic chemistry, and its unique ability to tailor natural products through synthesis, provides an extraordinary approach to unlock the full potential of natural products. In this Review, an approach based on natural product derived fragments is presented that can successfully address some of the current challenges in drug discovery. These fragments often display significantly reduced molecular weights, reduced structural complexity, a reduced number of synthetic steps, while retaining or even improving key biological parameters such as potency or selectivity. Examples from various stages of the drug development process up to the clinic are presented. In addition, this process can be leveraged by recent developments such as genome mining, antibody–drug conjugates, and computational approaches. All these concepts have the potential to identify the next generation of drug candidates inspired by natural products.

New antimicrobial and biocompatible implant coating with synergic silver-vancomycin conjugate action

Materials foreign to the body are used ever more frequently, as increasing numbers of patients require implants. As a consequence, the numbers of implant-related infections have grown as well, and with increasing resistance. Treatments often fail; thus, new antibacterial coating strategies are being developed by scientists to avoid, or at least strongly reduce, bacterial adhesion to implant surfaces. In this study, we focused on producing a self-protective coating combining silver(I) ions and a vancomycin-derived molecule, intelligent pyridinate vancomycin (IPV), with a synergetic and effective action against bacteria. These Ag(I) -IPV conjugate-coated surfaces are well characterized and exhibit strong bactericidal activity in vitro against Staphylococci strains. Furthermore, the released quantities of both drugs from the coated surfaces do not affect their biocompatibility and soft tissue integration. These newly developed Ag(I) -IPV conjugate coatings thus represent a possible and efficient protection method against bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation during and after implant surgery.

Integrated antimicrobial and nonfouling zwitterionic polymers

Zwitterionic polymers are generally viewed as a new class of nonfouling materials. Unlike their poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) counterparts, zwitterionic polymers have a broader chemical diversity and greater freedom for molecular design. In this Minireview, we highlight recent microbiological applications of zwitterionic polymers and their derivatives, with an emphasis on several unique molecular strategies to integrate antimicrobial and nonfouling properties. We will also discuss our insights into the bacterial nonfouling performance of zwitterionic polymers and one example of engineering zwitterionic polymer derivatives for antimicrobial wound-dressing applications.

Bacteria-triggered release of antimicrobial agents

Medical devices employed in healthcare practice are often susceptible to microbial contamination. Pathogenic bacteria may attach themselves to device surfaces of catheters or implants by formation of chemically complex biofilms, which may be the direct cause of device failure. Extracellular bacterial lipases are particularly abundant at sites of infection. Herein it is shown how active or proactive compounds attached to polymeric surfaces using lipase-sensitive linkages, such as fatty acid esters or anhydrides, may be released in response to infection. Proof-of-concept of the responsive material is demonstrated by the bacteria-triggered release of antibiotics to control bacterial populations and signaling molecules to modulate quorum sensing. The self-regulating system provides the basis for the development of device-relevant polymeric materials, which only release antibiotics in dependency of the titer of bacteria surrounding the medical device.

Synthesis and structural characterization of hexacoordinate silicon, germanium, and titanium complexes of the E. coli siderophore enterobactin

The E. coli siderophore enterobactin, one of the strongest Fe(III) chelators known to date, is also capable of binding Si(IV) under physiological conditions. We report on the synthesis and structural characterization of the tris(catecholate) Si(IV) -enterobactin complex and its Ge(IV) and Ti(IV) analogues. Comparative structural analysis, supported by quantum-chemical calculations, reveals the correlation between the ionic radius and the structural changes in enterobactin upon complexation.