Identification of aryl 2-aminoimidazoles as biofilm inhibitors in Gram-negative bacteria

The synthesis and biofilm inhibitory activity of a 30-member aryl amide 2-aminoimidazole library against the three biofilm forming Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Psuedomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii is presented. The most active compound identified inhibits the formation of E. coli biofilms with an IC(50) of 5.2 mu M and was observed to be non-toxic to planktonic growth, demonstrating that analogues based on an aryl framework are viable options as biofilm inhibitors within the 2-aminoimidazole family. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.