Properties of a Gallium-Conjugated Siderophore Complex as an Antibacterial Treatment

Abstract

In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that approximately two million individuals in the United States developed antibiotic-resistant infections. This increasing rate of bacterial antibiotic resistance necessitates the development of alternative treatments. Gallium-desferrioxamine (Ga-DFO), a gallium-chelated bacterial siderophore, offers a promising alternative treatment by exploiting the natural iron-uptake pathway of bacteria to introduce toxic gallium ions into the cytoplasm. Previous research demonstrates that the Ga-DFO complex is effective against a number of bacterial strains in ideal treatment conditions. The present study examines the properties of Ga-DFO and its effectiveness against additional strains in a non-iron-depleted environment and in mammalian cell culture. Ga-DFO was found to successfully inhibit the growth of each bacterial strain tested. It was also effective when added at any time point during bacterial growth.