Catechol siderophores repress the pyochelin pathway and activate the enterobactin pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: an opportunity for siderophore-antibiotic conjugates development.

Previous studies have suggested that antibiotic vectorization by siderophores (iron chelators produced by bacteria) considerably increases the efficacy of such drugs. The siderophore serves as a vector: when the pathogen tries to take up iron via the siderophore, it also takes up the antibiotic. Catecholates are among the most common iron-chelating compounds used in synthetic siderophore-antibiotic conjugates.