Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 1,2,4-oxadiazole salts and their derived functional materials

The worldwide rise in antibacterial resistance is making commonly used antibiotics and traditional treatments increasingly ineffective, presenting a significant danger to contemporary healthcare[1]. This issue transcends particular clinical environments and signifies a systemic problem impacting domains such as surgery, oncology, and medical device implantation[2]. To this end,inspired by a prior study, a range of novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole pyridinium salts have been synthesized and characterized[3]. Initially, 37 substances were evaluated in vitro against the standard strains of Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli using dilution and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays. Subsequently, the five most active salts were evaluated against multidrug-resistant bacteria (K. pneumoniae, E. coli, S. aureus, S. haemolyticus, and E. faecium). Furthermore, their cytotoxicity, haemolytic activity, and selectivity index have been assessed. Following the integration into PVC films and glycerol gels, disk diffusion assays and diffusion in aqueous solutions were conducted, revealing relevant antibacterial efficacy. This study constitutes a preliminary phase in the creation of potential antibacterial coatings for medical implants