Strong Antimicrobial Activity of Hydroxamic Acids and Newly Synthesized Derivatives

Abstract

Antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria are a growing worldwide health concern according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These bacteria are responsible for most of the infectious diseases and healthcare‐associated infections in hospitals (HAIs). The need for new therapeutic approaches using novel antimicrobial compounds is becoming vital as the number of infections caused by antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermis has drastically increased. The focus of this study is to test newly designed and synthesized therapeutic agents for antimicrobial properties. Several hydroxamic acids and analogs synthesized by the Chemistry Department at New Jersey City University were tested for antibacterial activity against eight ATCC strains of human and plant pathogenic microorganisms. The antimicrobial activity of each compound was evaluated using the disk‐diffusion assay and the liquid broth assay. All compounds displayed a various spectrum of antibacterial activity. Compounds with the strongest antimicrobial effect were selected for further characterization to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration using serial dilution and absorbance reading. A subset of compounds with antimicrobial effects against plant pathogens were further tested for cytotoxicity and the ability to prevent fruit and vegetable bacterial infections. Future work will focus on using a cell‐culture‐based assay to test the remaining compounds for animal cell cytotoxicity.Support or Funding InformationThis research was done under the support of the U.S. Education Department Title III Part F HSI Grant # P031C160155, the NSF IUSE (Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) Award #1611843, and the New Jersey City University Separately Budgeted Research Fund.