Bacteria represent the most important causative agents of infectious diseases in humans, and their control is increasingly hindered by rising antibiotic resistance. Among the clinically most relevant hospital-associated pathogens is Enterococcus faecalis, an opportunistic Gram‑positive bacterium responsible for urinary tract infections, wound infections, bloodstream infections, and endocarditis. Its ability to form persistent biofilms, survive in harsh environmental conditions, and develop multidrug resistance poses a significant therapeutic challenge and highlights the need for novel antimicrobial strategies.
The aim of this master’s thesis was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of selected compounds from the Faculty of Pharmacy University of Ljubljana compound library against three different E. faecalis strains. For the clinical isolates EFS 35‑1469 and EFS 25‑529, as well as the reference strain EFS RDK 057, we determined antibiotic susceptibility, examined their biofilm‑forming capacity under various conditions, and assessed the antibacterial effectiveness of the selected compounds on each strain.
In the experimental part, we first evaluated the activity of 30 GDL compounds, of which 19 showed antibacterial effects against at least one of the tested E. faecalis strains. The antibacterial effect of the GDL compounds was defined by determining their minimum inhibitory concentration. Compounds with the strongest inhibitory activity included GDL‑50, GDL‑59, GDL‑66, GDL‑88, GDL‑89, GDL‑90, GDL‑95, GDL‑101, and GDL‑102, all belonging to the class of N‑thiosubstituted β‑lactams. Subsequently, we performed an extensive screening of 840 compounds from the Faculty of Pharmacy compound library and tested their activity against all three selected strains. In total, 50 compounds exhibited antibacterial activity against at least one strain, representing 5.95% of the entire library.
Comparison of the three E. faecalis strains also revealed pronounced differences in their ability to form biofilms, which were strongly dependent on the growth medium used. These findings demonstrate that biofilm formation among strains of the same species is heterogeneous and highly influenced by environmental factors.
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