A Tale of Two Ends: Repurposing Metallic Compounds from Anti-Tumour Agents to Effective Antibacterial Activity

Area of Science:

• Medicinal Chemistry
• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Increasing antibiotic resistance necessitates novel antimicrobial agents.
• Drug repurposing is a viable strategy to address the antimicrobial discovery gap.
• Metallic compounds with anticancer properties are being investigated for antibacterial potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the antibacterial activity of cobalt and zinc metallic compounds.
• To assess the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC/MBC) of these compounds.
• To investigate the effects of compounds on bacterial motility, membrane permeability, and human cell viability.

Main Methods:

• Testing compounds against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
• Determining MIC/MBC values.
• Performing motility assays and ethidium bromide (EtBr) accumulation assays.
• Conducting human cell viability assays.

Main Results:

• Compound TS262 exhibited the most significant antibacterial activity across tested bacteria.
• No notable effects on bacterial motility or membrane permeability were observed.
• Compounds demonstrated reduced human cell viability at MIC concentrations.

Conclusions:

• Metallic compounds, particularly TS262, show promise as novel antibacterial agents.
• Further research into these compounds could lead to the development of effective antimicrobials.
• The study highlights the potential of repurposing anticancer metallic compounds for antibacterial applications.