Computer-aided design of novel siderophores: Pyridinochelin

Pyridinochelin, a novel tetradentate catecholate-type siderophore, has been designed on the basis of the active analog enterobactin and was then synth esized. Growth promotion tests indicate that this synthetic siderophore fee ds various pathogenic bacteria most effectively with iron even though it la cks one catecholate group compared to enterobactin. The superposition of th e mentioned siderophore structures suggests that the structure of the skele ton connecting the catecholate groups might be an important factor for the iron transport.