Chloramphenicol

A simple and rapid green synthesis using Bischofia javanica Blume leaves as reducing agent was developed for the preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). AuNPs decorated graphene oxide (AuNPs/GO) was prepared and employed for the sensitive amperometric determination of chloramphenicol. The green biosynthesis requires less than 40s to reduce gold salts to AuNPs. The formations of AuNPs and AuNPs/GO were evaluated by scanning electron and atomic force microscopies, UV-Visible and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction studies, and electrochemical methods. AuNPs/GO composite film modified electrode was fabricated and shown excellent electrocatalytic ability towards chloramphenicol. Under optimal conditions, the amperometric sensing platform has delivered wide linear range of 1.5-2.95μM, low detection limit of 0.25μM and high sensitivity of 3.81μAμM-1cm-2. The developed sensor exhibited good repeatability and reproducibility, anti-interference ability and long-term storage stability.

Multidrug resistant bacteria have been a worldwide concern for decades. Though new molecules that effectively target Gram-positive bacteria are currently appearing on the market, a gap remains in the treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, new strategies must be developed against these pathogens. The aim of this study was to select an antibiotic for which a bacterium is naturally resistant and to use an escort molecule to restore susceptibility, similarly to the model of β-lactam/ β-lactamase inhibitors. High-content screening was performed on the reference strain PA01, allowing the selection of four polyamino-isoprenic compounds that acted synergistically with doxycycline. They were assayed against clinical isolates and Multi-Drug-Resistant strains. One of these compounds was able to decrease the MIC of doxycycline on the reference strain, efflux pump overproducers and clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa, to the susceptibility level.

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for confirmatory and quantitative purposes using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed and validated for determination of chloramphenicol, thiamphenicol, florfenicol and its metabolite, florfenicol amine, in poultry, swine, bovine and fish muscle. Sample preparation was based on extraction with organic solvent (ethyl acetate: ammonium hydroxide, 98:2) followed by evaporation and fat removal using hexane. The chromatographic separation was carried out with an XTerra C18 column with a gradient elution using water and acetonitrile both with 2mM of ammonium acetate. Mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization was operated in positive or negative polarity using selected-reaction monitoring (SRM) analysis mode, achieving the requirements of four identification points for each compound. Chloramphenicol-D5 was added as internal standard. Method validation was performed according to the criteria of Commission Decision 2002/657/EC.