ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF COPPER(II) COMPLEXES

Two novel copper(II) 5-chlorosalicylate complexes with either 1,10-phenantroline or its methyl derivative 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (neocuproine) have been prepared and studied. A potential antimicrobial or antifungal activity of both complexes has been tested on prokaryotic Escherichia coli and eukaryotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae model organisms. Crystal structure of [Cu(phen)(5-Clsal)(5-ClsalH(2))](2) a dimeric structure, whereas the second complex of formula [Cu(H2O)(5-Clsal)(Neo)] has been shown to be monomeric. Our results confirmed the toxic effect of prepared copper complexes as well as bioactive ligands on the yeast and bacteria growth. The effect of copper complexes was stronger compared to the solutions of free ligands. Our preliminary results showed that the complex [Cu(H2O)(5-Clsal)(Neo)] exhibited higher antimicrobial activity compared to the complex [Cu(phen)(5-Clsal)(5-ClsalH(2))](2).