Gastaldi Guerrieri, Caroline, Vedovatti Monfardini Sagrillo, Mariane, Alves Vinhas, Solange, Devereux, Michael, McCann, Malachy, Pereira de Mello, Thaís, Cruz Spano, Liliana and Luis Souza dos Santo, Andre (2025) Combating Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli: Dual antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of silver- and copper-1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione complexes. AIMS Microbiology, 11 (4). pp. 855-876. ISSN 2471-1888
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Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) causes acute and persistent diarrhea. Its
antimicrobial resistance and strong biofilm formation hinder treatment, highlighting the need for new
therapies. This study evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (phendione)
and its copper [Cu(phendione)3](ClO4)2.4H2O (Cu-phendione) and silver [Ag(phendione)2]ClO4 (Agphendione) complexes against planktonic and biofilm-forming EAEC cells. The minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were determined for
planktonic cells of 35 clinical EAEC isolates, revealing potent antibacterial activity by all test
compounds, with Cu-phendione showing the greatest efficacy, followed by Ag-phendione and
phendione. Most combinations of Cu-phendione or Ag-phendione with either ampicillin or tetracycline
exhibited additive effects through checkerboard assays, whereas time-kill experiments revealed
synergistic interactions between the complexes and those classical antibacterial agents. Minimum
biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) analysis identified Cu-phendione as the most effective compound for disarticulating biofilm formation (geometric MBIC = 14.61 μM), followed by Ag-phendione (24.69 μM) and phendione (67.08 μM). Notably, Cu-phendione eradicated biofilms in 24 isolates (68.6%), while Ag-phendione and phendione achieved eradication in 11 (31.4%) and 6 (17.1%) isolates, respectively. Furthermore, the test complexes were able to disrupt established mature biofilms, as demonstrated by the crystal violet assay and scanning electron microscopy. In combination therapy, complete biofilm eradication was achieved in all clinical isolates tested when Cu-phendione was paired with cefoxitin, tobramycin, tetracycline, or ciprofloxacin. Collectively, phendione-derived complexes, particularly Cu-phendione, represent promising candidates for the treatment of EAEC infections in planktonic and biofilm-associated states.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | EAEC; diarrhea; antimicrobial resistance; biofilm; coordination compounds; copper complex; |
| Academic Unit: | Faculty of Science and Engineering > Chemistry |
| Item ID: | 21358 |
| Identification Number: | 10.3934/microbiol.2025036 |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Malachy McCann |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Mar 2026 10:36 |
| Journal or Publication Title: | AIMS Microbiology |
| Publisher: | AIMS |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Related URLs: | |
| Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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