molecules Article Evaluation of Ruthenium(II) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes as Antibacterial Agents and Inhibitors of Bacterial Thioredoxin Reductase Hilke Burmeister 1, Pascal Dietze 2, Lutz Preu 1 , Julia E. Bandow 2 and Ingo Ott 1,* 1 Institute of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Beethovenstr. 55, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany;
[email protected] (H.B.);
[email protected] (L.P.) 2 Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany;
[email protected] (P.D.);
[email protected] (J.E.B.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: A series of ruthenium(II) complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands of the general type (arene)(NHC)Ru(II)X2 (where X = halide) was prepared, characterized, and evaluated as antibacterial agents in comparison to the respective metal free benzimidazolium cations. The ruthenium(II) NHC complexes generally triggered stronger bacterial growth inhibition than the metal free benzimidazolium cations. The effects were much stronger against Gram-positive bacte- ria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) than against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and all complexes were inactive against the fun- gus Candida albicans. Moderate inhibition of bacterial thioredoxin reductase was confirmed for Citation: Burmeister, H.; Dietze, P.; Preu, L.; Bandow, J.E.; Ott, I. selected complexes, indicating that inhibition of this enzyme might be a contributing factor to the Evaluation of Ruthenium(II) antibacterial effects. N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes as Antibacterial Agents and Keywords: antibacterial; N-heterocyclic carbenes; ruthenium; thioredoxin reductase Inhibitors of Bacterial Thioredoxin Reductase. Molecules 2021, 26, 4282.