Claramines: A New Class Of Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents With Bimodal Activity

Abstract

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria and pathogens has created an urgent need for the development of new antibiotics. Herein we report our investigations into the broad-spectrum activity of an easily prepared water-soluble polyaminosterol compound, namely claramine A1, against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains. We also report its peculiar mechanism of action, which differs from that of all the other well-known classes of antibiotics, toward Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Given their low cytotoxicity, this class of compounds based on claramine A1 could constitute an effective response to combat the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria and nosocomial diseases.

Keywords: antibacterial agents; antibiotics; bile acids; polyamines; steroids.