Antibacterial photoswitchable triazenic ciprofloxacins

Antibiotics can be released into the environment when used to treat bacterial infections in humans and animals. These residues are poorly removed by wastewater treatment processes, leading to the selection of bacterial antibiotic resistance that impacts human, animal, and environmental health. To combat antibiotic resistance, photopharmacology is a promising emerging technology. Based on the coupling of an antibiotic with a photochromic unit, it enables the spatiotemporal control of the drug's antibacterial activity by modulating the conformation of the molecules using light. Couplings between ciprofloxacin and photochromic nuclei have led to the synthesis of the Triazole-Ciprofloxacin (TC) compound families. The antibacterial activity of the compounds was evaluated through an initial screening at a concentration of 50 mg/L in the absence and presence of UV_A exposure, using the microdilution technique, to select the compounds with the highest antibacterial potency. The determination and comparison of the MIC50 values of the selected TC compounds identified molecules exhibiting increased activity resulting from a conformational change under UV_A exposure.