Iron metabolism in the cell as a target in the development of potential antimicrobial and antiviral agents

The search and creation of innovative antimicrobial drugs, acting against resistant and multiresistant strains of bacteria and fungi, are one of the most important tasks of modern bioorganic chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Since iron is essential for the vital activity of almost all organisms, including mammals and bacteria, the proteins involved in its metabolism can serve as potential targets in the development of new promising antimicrobial agents. Such targets include endogenous mammalian biomolecules, heme oxygenases, siderophores, protein 24p3, as well as bacterial heme oxygenases and siderophores. Other proteins that are responsible for the delivery of iron to cells and its balance between bacteria and the host organism also attract certain particular interest. The review summarizes data on the development of inhibitors and inducers (activators) of heme oxygenases, selective for mammals and bacteria, and considers the characteristic features of their mechanisms of action and structure. Based on the reviewed literature data, it was concluded that the use of hemin, the most powerful hemooxygenase inducer, and its derivatives as potential antimicrobial and antiviral agents, in particular against COVID-19 and other dangerous infections, would be a promising approach. In this case, an important role is attributed to the products of hemin degradation formed by heme oxygenases in vitro and in vivo. Certain attention has been paid to the data on the antimicrobial action of iron-free protoporphyrinates, namely complexes with Co, Ga, Zn, Mn, their advantages and disadvantages compared to hemin. Modification of the well-known antibiotic ceftazidime with a siderophore molecule increased its effectiveness against resistant bacteria.

Improving the synthesis of hemin derivatives and their effect on bacterial biofilms

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains has recently resulted in a large focus on designing new antimicrobial agents, including those based on natural compounds. We have previously synthesized two disubstituted arginine-containing derivatives of hemin (HD) (4) and (5) that demonstrated pronounced antimicrobial activity against planktonic cells in vitro [1, 2]. These HDs are leading and promising for the creation of antibacterial agents on their basis. This research is aimed at improving the synthesis of HDs (4) and (5) to increase their yield, simplify the process and minimize the side reactions, as well as to establish their antimicrobial and destructive effect on biofilms, including those consisting of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As a result, we were able to increase the yields of the protected dipeptide of ZArg(Z[Formula: see text]SerNH2 (3) and the corresponding HD (4) up to 97 and 93%, respectively, and also to minimize the side reaction of the formation of ornithine-containing HD. For the arginine amide modified HD (5), we have also proposed an improved synthesis scheme. The ability of HD to cause the bacteria death in the composition of formed biofilms, including those consisting of resistant bacteria, was shown. After the effect of HDs on the biofilm at concentrations of 80 and 100 [Formula: see text]g/ml, the CFU decrease was 3–5/ml. The fluorescent microscopy confirmed the bacteria mortality in the biofilm. Electron microscopy showed structural damage (fragmentation) of the formed bacterial biofilm under the effect of HDs.