Multivalent antibiotics via metal complexes: Potent divalent vancomycins against vancomycin-resistant enterococci

Dimers of vancomycin (Van), linked by a rigid metal complex, [Pt(en)(H2O)(2)](2+), exhibit potent activities (MIC similar to0.8 mug/mL, similar to720 times more potent than that of Van itself) against vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). The result suggests that combining metal complexation and receptor/ligand interaction offers a useful method to construct multivalent inhibitors.