Siderophores are Fe(III)-chelating secondary metabolites that bacteria deploy to acquire iron, an essential nutrient, from the vertebrate host. We report the design and evaluation of siderophore-antibiotic conjugates and siderophore-based immunization based on the siderophore enterobactin. This siderophore is biosynthesized and utilized by enteric bacteria including Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Klebsiella. Antibacterial activity studies demonstrate that enterobactin-modified antibiotics are transported into Escherichia coli by the enterobactin uptake machinery. Moreover, we show that siderophore modification allows repurposing of an anticancer drug for targeted bacterial delivery. These studies provide a guide for further investigations of targeting siderophores and siderophore uptake machinery in the design of non-traditional antibacterial agents.

Exploring siderophore scaffolds for narrow-spectrum antibacterial strategies

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ACS Spring 2023

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