Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Visualization of Bacterial Resistance using Fluorescent Antibiotic Probes
Published on: March 2, 2020
Antibacterial activity of substituted 5-methylbenzo[c]phenanthridinium derivatives
Ajit Parhi1, Cody Kelley, Malvika Kaul
1TAXIS Pharmaceuticals Inc., North Brunswick, NJ 08902, USA.
Abstract:
Antibiotic resistance has prompted efforts to discover antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action. FtsZ is an essential protein for bacterial cell division, and has been viewed as an attractive target for the development of new antibiotics. Sanguinarine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid that prevents cytokinesis in bacteria by inhibiting FtsZ self-assembly. In this study, a series of 5-methylbenzo[c]phenanthridinium derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. The data indicate that the presence of a 1- or 12-phenyl substituent on 2,3,8,9-tetramethoxy-5-methylbenzo[c]phenanthridinium chloride significantly enhances antibacterial activity relative to the parent compound or sanguinarine.
Related Concept Videos
meta-Directing Deactivators: –NO2, –CN, –CHO, –⁠CO2R, –COR, –CO2H
NMR Spectroscopy of Benzene Derivatives
Directing Effect of Substituents: ortho–para-Directing Groups
Directing and Steric Effects in Disubstituted Benzene Derivatives
Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis
Directing Effect of Substituents: meta-Directing Groups
