The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance is demanding the production of new antibiotic compounds. Classic approaches to drug development have included functional group modifications to pre-existing antibiotic compounds. Recently, advancements of other drugs, including chemotherapeutics and anti-diabetics, have involved the complexation of organic structures and transition metals. The integration of these developmental strategies has prompted an investigation into metal–antibiotic complex syntheses. These complexes are a promising alternative to traditional organic antibiotic molecules as the presence of a transition metal may alter the structure in a manner in which the complex could then bypass antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Although many transition metal–antibiotic complexes have been synthesized and characterized, there is very limited research on the antibiotic activity of these complexes. The transition metal of focus in this investigation is vanadium, because of its low toxicity and similar binding properties to phosphorus, an atom abundant in biological systems. The goal of this research is to optimize the synthesis, characterize the structure, and examine the biological activity of novel vanadium–tetracycline complexes. Analysis techniques utilized for structural elucidation include UV-Vis, IR, NMR (<sup>1</sup>H, <sup>13</sup>C, DEPT, HSQC, HMBC), and XAFS spectroscopy. Experimental results highlight the influence of light, solvent, temperature, and atmosphere during the synthesis on product structure. Additionally, a highly probable location of coordination between the vanadium compound and the tetracycline molecule has been identified. Further research on the speciation of the complex, including a study characterizing the kinetics of vanadium–tetracycline coordination, is ongoing.

Investigating vanadium–tetracycline complexes: Optimization of synthesis and spectroscopic analysis

ACS Spring 2022

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