Proving the Antimicrobial Therapeutic Activity on a New Copper-Thiosemicarbazone Complex.

The misuse and overdose of antimicrobial medicines are fostering the emergence of novel drug-resistant pathogens, providing negative repercussions not only on the global healthcare system due to the rise of long-term or chronic patients and inefficient therapies but also on the world trade, productivity, and, in short, to the global economic growth. In view of these scenarios, novel action plans to constrain this antibacterial resistance are needed. Thus, given the proven antiproliferative tumoral and microbial features of thiosemicarbazone (TSCN) ligands, we have here synthesized a novel effective antibacterial copper-thiosemicarbazone complex, demonstrating both its solubility profile and complex stability under physiological conditions, along with their safety and antibacterial activity in contact with human cellular nature and two most predominant bacterial strains, respectively. A significant growth inhibition (17% after 20 h) is evidenced over time, paving the way toward an effective antibacterial therapy based on these copper-TSCN complexes.

Antibacterial Activity of Two Zn-MOFs Containing a Tricarboxylate Linker.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be used as reservoirs of metal ions with relevant antibacterial effects. Here, two novel Zn-based MOFs with the formulas [Zn4(µ4-O)(µ-FA)L2] (GR-MOF-8) and [Zn4(µ4-O)L2(H2O)] (GR-MOF-9) (H3L: 5-((4-carboxyphenyl)ethynyl) in isophthalic acid and FA (formate anion) were solvothermally synthetized and fully characterized. The antibacterial activity of GR-MOF-8 and 9 was investigated against Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Escherichia Coli (EC) by the agar diffusion method. Both bacteria are among the most relevant human and animal pathogens, causing a wide variety of infections, and are often related with the development of antimicrobial resistances. While both Zn-based materials exhibited antibacterial activity against both strains, GR-MOF-8 showed the highest inhibitory action, likely due to a more progressive Zn release under the tested experimental conditions. This is particularly evidenced in the inhibition of SA, with an increasing effect of GR-MOF-8 with time, which is of great significance to ensure the disappearance of the microorganism.

Copper Glufosinate-Based Metal-Organic Framework as a Novel Multifunctional Agrochemical.

Pesticides are agrochemical compounds used to kill pests (insects, rodents, fungi, or unwanted plants), which are key to meet the world food demand. Regrettably, some important issues associated with their widespread/extensive use (contamination, bioaccumulation, and development of pest resistances) demand a reduction in the amount of pesticide applied in crop protection. Among the novel technologies used to combat the deterioration of our environment, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as innovative and promising materials in agroindustry since they possess several features (high porosity, functionalizable cavities, ecofriendly composition, etc.) that make them excellent candidates for the controlled release of pesticides. Moving toward a sustainable development, in this work, we originally describe the use of pesticides as building blocks for the MOF construction, leading to a new type of agricultural applied MOFs (or AgroMOFs). Particularly, we have prepared a novel 2D-MOF (namely, GR-MOF-7) based on the herbicide glufosinate and the widely used antibacterial and fungicide Cu2+. GR-MOF-7 crystallizes attaining a monoclinic P21/c space group, and the asymmetric unit is composed of one independent Cu2+ ion and one molecule of the Glu2- ligand. Considering the significant antibacterial activity of Cu-based compounds in agriculture, the potential combined bactericidal and herbicidal effect of GR-MOF-7 was investigated. GR-MOF-7 shows an important antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (involved in agricultural animal infections), improving the results obtained with its individual or even physical mixed precursors [glufosinate and Cu(NO3)2]. It is also an effective pesticide against germination and plant growth of the weed Raphanus sativus, an invasive species in berries and vines crops, demonstrating that the construction of MOFs based on herbicide and antibacterial/antifungal units is a promising strategy to achieve multifunctional agrochemicals. To the best of our knowledge, this first report on the synthesis of an MOF based on agrochemicals (what we have named AgroMOF) opens new ways on the safe and efficient MOF application in agriculture.