Biological activities of pyochelins: iron-chelating agents of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa able to grow readily in serum (serum resistant) produce siderophores in large quantity, enabling them to extract iron from transferrins. The term pyochelin has been proposed for this group of compounds. Pyochelin extractable with ethyl acetate and designated pyochelin A appears to be a mixture of catechols and other phenolates. The structures of water-soluble siderophores, designated pyochelin B, have not been determined. Pyochelins enabled growth in serum of strains of serum-sensitive P. aeruginosa and other gram-negative bacilli. Serum-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa tended to be more virulent than equally toxigenic strains of the serum-sensitive group. However, incorporation of pyochelins into the inocula of serum-sensitive strains could reduce, rather than enhance, their virulence. Utilization of pyochelins by serum-sensitive strains of P. aeruginosa rendered some of these organisms resistant to pyocins which were otherwise lethal to them.