Nitrofurans as Promising Candidates for Overcoming Antibacterial Resistance: A Review of Derivatives with Antibacterial Properties
Emad Jafarzadeh2*, Sepideh Rezaei1, Nima Rastegar-Pouyani2, Sholeh Akbari3
1Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, 3585 Cullen Blvd, USA
2Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
3Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran, University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Citation: Jafarzadeh E, Rezaei S, Pouyani NR, Akbari S (2023) Nitrofurans as Promising Candidates for Overcoming Antibacterial Resistance: A Review of Derivatives with Antibacterial Properties. SciTech Biomed-Cancer 2023.
Received: May 19, 2023 Accepted: May 23, 2023 Published: May 19, 2023
Abstract
Introduction: Bacterial infections and the increasing resistance of bacteria to drugs have become a major global health challenge. The development of novel antibacterial agents with different mechanisms of action is a promising approach to overcome drug resistance. Nitrofurans are a class of antibacterial agents with broad-spectrum activity against various types of bacteria. This study aims to review the reported derivatives of nitrofurans with antibacterial properties and evaluate their potential as candidates for drug development.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in April 2021 using the keywords "Nitrofurans" and "antibacterial" and their equivalents and related terms. The search was limited to original articles published in English. Relevant studies were selected for data extraction based on antibacterial efficacy and bactericidal power as the main outcomes.
Results: A total of 36 articles were included in the study. The findings indicate that nitrofuran-based compounds possess satisfactory antimicrobial activity at the micromolar level. Most of these agents also exhibit high efficacy against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria with minimal toxicity to human cells. Furthermore, the results suggest that chemical modifications of nitrofurans with appropriate functional groups and molecules can enhance their antibacterial efficiency.
Conclusion: Based on the reviewed studies, nitrofuran and its derivatives have the potential to serve as promising candidates for future drug discovery in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.
Keywords: Nitrofurans, Bacterial infection, Antimicrobial, Drug resistance
