title: Antimicrobial activity of ruthenium-based intercalators.
abstract: Multidrug resistance of bacterial pathogens is a major problem and there is a clear need for the development of new types of antibiotics. Here we investigated the antimicrobial activity of ruthenium(II) based DNA-intercalating complexes. These complexes were found to have no activity in vitro against the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, but the complexes were clearly active against the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. In vivo activity has also been demonstrated for one of the compounds using a simple infection model, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Importantly, this also showed that the compound tested was not toxic to the nematodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 AY, UK. a.bolhuis@bath.ac.uk
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bolhuis
authors.forename: Lorna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hand
authors.forename: Julia E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Adair D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodger
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aldrich-Wright
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000382:microbiology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D007364:Intercalating Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D023421:Models, Animal; D017975:Ruthenium Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007364:Intercalating Agents; D017975:Ruthenium Compounds