Antistaphylococcal Activity of the FtsZ Inhibitor C109
Gabriele Trespidi,
Viola Camilla Scoffone,
Giulia Barbieri,
Federica Marchesini,
Aseel Abualshaar,
Tom Coenye,
Francesca Ungaro,
Vadim Makarov,
Roberta Migliavacca,
Edda De Rossi,
Silvia Buroni
Affiliations
Gabriele Trespidi
Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Viola Camilla Scoffone
Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Giulia Barbieri
Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Federica Marchesini
Unit of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Aseel Abualshaar
Unit of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Tom Coenye
Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Gent University, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
Francesca Ungaro
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Vadim Makarov
Research Center of Biotechnology RAS, 119071 Moscow, Russia
Roberta Migliavacca
Unit of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Edda De Rossi
Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Silvia Buroni
Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Staphylococcus aureus infections represent a great concern due to their versatility and involvement in different types of diseases. The shortage of available clinical options, especially to treat multiresistant strains, makes the discovery of new effective compounds essential. Here we describe the activity of the previously described cell division inhibitor C109 against methicillin-sensitive and -resistant S. aureus strains. Antibiofilm activity was assessed using microtiter plates, confocal microscopy, and in an in vitro biofilm wound model. The ability of C109 to block FtsZ GTPase activity and polymerization was tested in vitro. Altogether, the results show that the FtsZ inhibitor C109 has activity against a wide range of S. aureus strains and support its use as an antistaphylococcal compound.
