Synthesis of novel Iron(III) chelators based on triaza macrocycle backbone and 1-hydroxy-2(H)-pyridin-2-one coordinating groups and their evaluation as antimicrobial agents

Several novel chelators based on 1-hydroxy-2(1H) pyridinone coordinating groups decorating a triaza macrocyclic backbone scaffold were synthesised as potential powerful Fe3 + chelators capable of competing with bacterial siderophores. In particular, a novel chloromethyl derivative of 1-hydroxy-2(1H)-pyridinone exploiting a novel protective group for this family of coordinating groups was developed. These are the first examples of hexadentate chelators based on 1-hydroxy 2(1H)-pyridinone to be shown to have a biostatic activity against a range of pathogenic bacteria. Their efficacy as biostatic agents was assessed revealing that minor variations in the structure of the chelator can affect efficacy profoundly. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of our best tested novel chelators approach or are comparable to those for 1,4,7-tris(3 hydroxy-6-methyl-2-pyridylmethyl)-1,4,7 triazacyclononane, the best Fe3 + chelator known to date. The retarding effect these chelators have on microbial growth suggests that they could have a potential application as a co-active alongside antibiotics in the fight against infections.