Evaluation of Gold Complexes to Address Bacterial Resistance, Quorum Sensing, Biofilm Formation, and Their Antiviral Properties against Bacteriophages.

The worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance poses a significant challenge, and researchers are diligently seeking new drugs to combat infections and prevent bacterial pathogens from developing resistance. Gold (I and III) complexes are suitable for this purpose. In this study, we tested four gold (I and III) complexes, () chlorotrimethylphosphine gold(I); () chlorotriphenylphosphine gold(I); () dichloro(2-pyridinecarboxylate) gold (III); and () 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazole-2-ylidene gold(I) chloride, for their antibacterial, antibiofilm, antiviral, and anti-quorum sensing activities. Results reveal that significantly inhibits DSM 1077 and ATCC 6538, while , , and only inhibit ATCC 6538. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of for ATCC 6538 is 0.59 μg/mL (1.91 μM), and for methicillin-resistant strains MRSA 12 and MRSA 15, it is 1.16 μg/mL (3.75 μM). For DSM 1077 (Gram-negative), the MIC is 4.63 μg/mL (15 μM), and for multi-resistant I731940778-1, it is 9.25 μg/mL (30 μM). Complex also disrupts biofilm formation in and after 6 h or 24 h exposure. Moreover, and 2 inhibit the replication of two enterobacteria phages. Anti-quorum sensing potential still requires further clarification. These findings highlight the potential of gold complexes as effective agents to combat bacterial and viral infections.