Unexpected formation of polymeric silver(I) complexes of azine-type ligand via self-assembly of Ag-salts with isatin oxamohydrazide

Synthesis of a New Dinuclear Ag(I) Complex with Asymmetric Azine Type Ligand: X-ray Structure and Biological Studies

Aspects of the molecular and supramolecular structure of the new dinuclear [Ag(L)(NO3)]2 complex, where L is 2-((E)-(((E)-1-(thiazol-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazono)methyl)phenol, were discussed. The complex was crystallized in the monoclinic crystal system and P21/n space group. The unit cell parameters are a = 10.3274(2) Å, b = 11.4504(3) Å, c = 12.7137(3) Å and β = 108.2560(10)°. The asymmetric unit comprised one [Ag(L)(NO3)] formula in which the azine and nitrate ligand groups act as NN- and OO-bidentate chelates, respectively. The coordination environment of the Ag(I) is completed by one weak Ag-O bond with another [Ag(L)(NO3)] unit, leading to the dinuclear formula [Ag(L)(NO3)]2. This was clearly revealed by Hirshfeld analysis. Additionally, the Ag…C, O…H and C…C intermolecular interactions played an important role in the molecular packing of the studied complex. The antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the [Ag(L)(NO3)]2 complex and the free ligand (L) were discussed. While the [Ag(L)(NO3)]2 complex showed very weak antioxidant activity, the results of the antifungal and cytotoxic activities were promising. The inhibition zone diameters (IZD) and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined to be 31 mm and 20 μg/mL, respectively, against A. fumigatus, which is compared to 17 mm and 156 μg/mL, respectively, for the positive control Ketoconazole. Generally, the Ag(I) complex has better antimicrobial activities than the free ligand against all microbes except for S. aureus, where the free ligand has higher activity. Additionally, the IC50 value against colon carcinoma (HCT-116 cell line) was determined to be 12.53 ± 0.69 µg/mL, which is compared to 5.35 ± 0.49 µg/mL for cis-platin. Additionally, the Ag(I) complex displays better cytotoxicity than the free ligand (L) (242.92 ± 8.12 µg/mL).

A portable SERS sensor for pyocyanin detection in simulated wound fluid and through swab sampling

A portable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensor for detecting pyocyanin (PYO) in simulated wound fluid and from bacteria samples was developed. Solution-phase SERS detection protocols are designed to be compatible with two different clinical practices for wound exudate collection, namely negative pressure liquid collection and swabbing. For citrate-coated metal nanoparticles of three different compositions, i.e. gold (AuNPs), alloyed silver/gold (AgAuNPs), and silver (AgNPs), we firstly confirmed their interaction with PYO in the complex wound fluid, using fluorescence quenching experiments, which rationalized the Raman enhancement effects. We then demonstrated the Raman enhancement effects of the metal nanoparticles in the order of AgNPs > AgAuNPs > AuNPs. The limit of detection (LOD) achieved for PYO is 1.1 μM (in a linear range of 0.1-25 μM by the AgNPs), 10.9 μM (in a linear range of 5-100 μM, by the AgAuNPs), and 17.7 μM (in a linear range of 10-100 μM by the AuNPs). The AgNP and AgAuNP sensors together cover the sensitivity and dynamic range requirements for the clinical detection of wound infection, where PYO is present at a concentration of 1-50 μM. In addition, sterilized cotton swabs were used to collect wound fluid and transfer samples into AgNP solution for SERS measurements. This detection protocol was completed within 5 minutes with a LOD of 23.1 μM (in a linear range of 15-100 μM). The SERS sensing protocol was validated by its successful detection of PYO in cultured Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. The findings presented in this work pave the way towards point-of-care diagnostics of wound infections.

Synthesis, Spectroscopy, Single-Crystal Structure Analysis and Antibacterial Activity of Two Novel Complexes of Silver(I) with Miconazole Drug

In a previous article, we reported on the higher toxicity of silver(I) complexes of miconazole [Ag(MCZ)₂NO₃ (1)] and [Ag(MCZ)₂ClO₄ (2)] in HepG2 tumor cells compared to the corresponding salts of silver, miconazole and cisplatin. Here, we present the synthesis of two silver(I) complexes of miconazole containing two new counter ions in the form of Ag(MCZ)₂X (MCZ = 1-[2-(2,4-dichlorobenzyloxy)-2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-1H-imidazole]; X = BF₄⁻ (3), SbF₆⁻ (4)). The novel silver(I) complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS spectrometry and X-ray-crystallography. In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of all obtained silver(I) complexes of miconazole against six strains of Gram-positive bacteria, five strains of Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts was evaluated. The results were compared with those of a silver sulfadiazine drug, the corresponding silver salts and the free ligand. Silver(I) complexes exhibited significant activity against Gram-positive bacteria, which was much better than that of silver sulfadiazine and silver salts. The highest antimicrobial activity was observed for the complex containing the nitrate counter ion. All Ag(I) complexes of miconazole resulted in much better inhibition of yeast growth than silver sulfadiazine, silver salts and miconazole. Moreover, the synthesized silver(I) complexes showed good or moderate activity against Gram-negative bacteria compared to the free ligand.