Combatting AMR: a molecular approach to the discovery of potent and non-toxic rhenium complexes active against C. albicans-MRSA co-infection

In this study, we present the antimicrobial and antifungal efficacy of a family of rhenium tricarbonyl diimine complexes with varying ligands, charge and lipophilicity. Our study allowed the identification of potent and non-toxic complexes active in vivo against antimicrobial infections at MIC doses as low as 330 ng/mL and C. albicans-MRSA mixed co-infection. The compounds are capable of suppressing the C. albicans morphogenetic yeast-to-hyphal transition, eradicating fungal-S. aureus co-infection, while showing no sign of cardio-, hepato-, hematotoxiciy or teratogenicity.