4-Diazopyrazole Derivatives as Potential New Antibiofilm Agents

BACKGROUND: The recognition that chronic infections and infections associated with medical devices are biofilm related has been the impulse for investigating the antibiofilm properties of some diazopyrazoles biologically active as antimicrobials.METHODS: The susceptibility of staphylococcal biofilms was determined at concentrations ranging from 25 to 1.5 microg/ml using crystal violet and methylthiazotetrazolium (MTT) staining. In the case of Candida albicans, we first assessed the anti-germ tube formation effect of 4-NO2 (compound 1c) and then we evaluated its antibiofilm activity at concentrations ranging from 100 to 6.2 microg/ml.RESULTS: All the compounds were active against reference staphylococcal biofilm strains at the maximum tested concentration of 25 microg/ml; despite its remarkable activity as germ tube inhibitor, compound 1c showed weak activity against C. albicans biofilms at 100 microg/ml.CONCLUSION: 4-Diazopyrazoles represent an interesting source of antimicrobial compounds in the development of new antibiofilm agents.