Advances in the antimicrobial and therapeutic potential of siderophores

The increasing bacterial resistance from antibiotic overuse has fostered the search for novel antimicrobial strategies. In particular, bacterial systems involving iron (Fe) uptake are studied to develop new therapeutics against infectious diseases, because iron is crucial for bacterial growth and is a main virulence factor for infection. Iron assimilation is commonly based on the production of siderophores, which are iron chelators produced to facilitate iron uptake. Siderophores are thus crucial for bacterial pathogenicity. Here we review the antimicrobial and therapeutic potential of siderophores. There are three main approaches for siderophore application in antimicrobial therapy: siderophore-mediated drug delivery, inhibition of siderophores biosynthesis and iron starvation by competitive chelation. Major advances on the use of siderophores as therapeutic agents for disease treatment are also presented.