Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2012-11-01

The urinary antibiotic 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline (Nitroxoline) reduces the formation and induces the dispersal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms by chelation of iron and zinc.

A Sobke, M Klinger, B Hermann, S Sachse, S Nietzsche, O Makarewicz, P M Keller, W Pfister, E Straube

Index: Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 56(11) , 6021-5, (2012)

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Abstract

Since cations have been reported as essential regulators of biofilm, we investigated the potential of the broad-spectrum antimicrobial and cation-chelator nitroxoline as an antibiofilm agent. Biofilm mass synthesis was reduced by up to 80% at sub-MIC nitroxoline concentrations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and structures formed were reticulate rather than compact. In preformed biofilms, viable cell counts were reduced by 4 logs at therapeutic concentrations. Complexation of iron and zinc was demonstrated to underlie nitroxoline's potent antibiofilm activity.