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Published on: February 23, 2021
Ciprofloxacin-Based Ionic Liquids Increase Mutation Frequency in Escherichia coli
Patrick Mikuni-Mester1, Birgit Bromberger1, Timea Dömök1
1Centre for Food Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Active pharmaceutical ingredient ionic liquids (API-ILs) show antimicrobial activity but increase bacterial mutation frequency. Further research is needed to design safer API-ILs to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Microbiology
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Active pharmaceutical ingredient ionic liquids (API-ILs) are explored to combat antimicrobial resistance.
- The impact of API-ILs on bacterial mutation frequency, a precursor to resistance, remains unassessed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and evaluate ciprofloxacin-based API-ILs for antimicrobial activity and their effect on bacterial mutation frequency.
- To investigate the influence of different counter-ions on API-IL properties.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of five novel ciprofloxacin-based API-ILs using the CBILS© route.
- Determination of antimicrobial activity via minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and disk diffusion (DD) assays.
- Assessment of bacterial mutation frequency in *Escherichia coli* MG1655.
Main Results:
- All synthesized API-ILs demonstrated retained antimicrobial activity comparable to ciprofloxacin.
- API-ILs significantly increased bacterial mutation frequency (2.6-6.99-fold) compared to ciprofloxacin alone (1.71-fold).
- Ionic liquids alone showed minimal impact on mutation frequency.
Conclusions:
- Novel ciprofloxacin-based API-ILs can be synthesized with potent antimicrobial activity.
- These API-ILs lead to a notable increase in bacterial mutation frequency, posing a potential risk.
- Safer design strategies for API-ILs are essential for effective antimicrobial resistance management.
