Novel fluorescent cephalosporins: Synthesis, antimicrobial activity and photodynamic inactivation of antibiotic resistant bacteria

β-Lactamase-Responsive Hydrogel Drug Delivery Platform for Bacteria-Triggered Cargo Release

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health threat that complicates the treatment of infections. β-Lactamase enzymes, which hydrolyze the β-lactam ring present in many common antibiotics, are a major cause of this resistance and are produced by a broad range of bacterial pathogens. Here, we developed hydrogels that degrade specifically in the presence of β-lactamases and β-lactamase-producing bacteria as a platform for bacteria-triggered drug delivery. A maleimide-functionalized β-lactamase-cleavable cephalosporin was used as a crosslinker in the fabrication of hydrogels through end-crosslinked polymerization with multiarm thiol-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) macromers via Michael-type addition. We demonstrated that only hydrogels containing the responsive crosslinker were degraded by β-lactamases and β-lactamase-producing bacteria in vitro and in an ex vivo porcine skin infection model. Fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles, encapsulated in the hydrogels as model cargo, were released at rates that closely tracked hydrogel wet mass loss, confirming β-lactamase-triggered controlled cargo release. Nonresponsive hydrogels, lacking the β-lactam crosslinker, remained stable in the presence of β-lactamases and β-lactamase-producing bacteria and exhibited no change in mass or nanoparticle release. Furthermore, the responsive hydrogels remained stable in non-β-lactamase enzymes, including collagenases and lipases. These hydrogels have the potential to be used as a bacteria-triggered drug delivery system to control unnecessary exposure to encapsulated antimicrobials, which can provide effective infection treatment without exacerbating resistance.

Photodynamic antimicrobial activity of new porphyrin derivatives against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with multiple drug resistance patterns is frequently isolated from skin and soft tissue infections that are involved in chronic wounds. Today, difficulties in the treatment of MRSA associated infections have led to the development of alternative approaches such as antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. This study aimed to investigate photoinactivation with cationic porphyrin derivative compounds against MRSA in in-vitro conditions. In the study, MRSA clinical isolates with different antibiotic resistance profiles were used. The newly synthesized cationic porphyrin derivatives (P_M, P_E, P_PN, and P_PL) were used as photosensitizer, and 655 nm diode laser was used as light source. Photoinactivation experiments were performed by optimizing energy doses and photosensitizer concentrations. In photoinactivation experiments with different energy densities and photosensitizer concentrations, more than 99% reduction was achieved in bacterial cell viability. No decrease in bacterial survival was observed in control groups. It was determined that there was an increase in photoinactivation efficiency by increasing the energy dose. At the energy dose of 150 J/cm² a survival reduction of over 6.33 log₁₀ was observed in each photosensitizer type. While 200 μM P_M concentration was required for this photoinactivation, 12.50 μM was sufficient for P_E, P_PN, and P_PL. In our study, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy performed with cationic porphyrin derivatives was found to have potent antimicrobial efficacy against multidrug resistant S. aureus which is frequently isolated from wound infections.

Synthesis, Fluorescence Properties, and Antiproliferative Potential of Several 3-Oxo-3H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carboxylic Acid Derivatives

In this study, two series of 3-oxo-3H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carboxylic acid derivatives (compounds 5a–i and 6a–g) were synthesized. Their in vitro proliferation inhibitory activities against the A549 and NCI-H460 human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines were evaluated. Their photophysical properties were measured. Among these target compounds, 5e exhibited the strongest antiproliferative activity by inducing apoptosis, arresting cell cycle, and elevating intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, suggesting that it may be a potent antitumor agent. In addition, compound 6g with very low cytotoxicity, demonstrated excellent fluorescence properties, which could be used as an effective fluorescence probe for biological imaging.

Amino Acid Thioester Derivatives: A Highly Promising Scaffold for the Development of Metallo-β-lactamase L1 Inhibitors

In light of the biomedical significance of metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs), ten new mercaptoacetic acid thioester amino acid derivatives were synthesized and characterized. Biological activity assays indicated that all these synthesized compounds are very potent inhibitors of L1, exhibiting an IC50 value range of 0.018-2.9 μM and a K i value range of 0.11-0.95 μM using cefazolin as substrate. Partial thioesters also showed effective inhibitory activities against NDM-1 and ImiS with an IC50 value range of 12-96 and 3.6-65 μM, respectively. Also, all these thioesters increased susceptibility of E. coli cells expressing L1 to cefazolin, indicated by a 2-4-fold reduction in MIC of the antibiotic. Docking studies revealed potential binding modes of the two most potent L1 inhibitors to the active site in which the carboxylate group interacts with both Zn(II) ions and Ser221. This work introduces a highly promising scaffold for the development of metallo-β-lactamase L1 inhibitors.

A multifunctional probe with aggregation-induced emission characteristics for selective fluorescence imaging and photodynamic killing of bacteria over mammalian cells

A multifunctional probe aggregation-induced emission-Zinc(II)-dipicolylamine (AIE-ZnDPA) is developed for selective targeting, fluorescence imaging, and photodynamic killing of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria over mammalian cells. The probe has significant advantages in simple probe design, enhanced fluorescence upon bacteria binding, excellent photostability, and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with almost no harm to mammalian cells.