Novel Ferrocenyl Chalcone Compounds as Possible Antimicrobial Agents

The increased presence of drug-resistant bacteria has quickly become a worldwide concern as infections spread from healthcare settings to the wider community. The swift spread of infections caused by bacteria such as methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is influenced by factors such as misuse and abuse of traditional antimicrobial treatments and inferior drugs. Ferrocenyl chalcones, which are derivatives of plant-based flavonoids, have gained further attention
from researchers because of their antimicrobial activity. Using 2-fold broth microdilution, results demonstrated that 5 of the 10 newly developed ferrocenyl chalcones, which contain increasing alkyl chains from 5-10 carbons on ring B,
possessed greater antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive organisms than Gram-negative organisms. These novel compounds were active against 3 types of drug-resistant S. aureus, including a MRSA, and other non-resistant Grampositive
bacteria. The same compounds inhibited growth by potentially obstructing cellular respiration in Gram-positive bacteria. Images obtained through scanning electron microscopy revealed bacterial cells with severe external damage once
exposed to a selected compound that showed activity. Findings indicate that these newly developed compounds could be important antimicrobial agents in the treatment of infections from clinically resistant bacteria.