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Antibiotics Science: Molecular Insights, Detection Strategies, Resistance Challenges and Interdisciplinary...
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Antibiotics Science: Molecular Insights, Detection Strategies, Resistance Challenges and Interdisciplinary Applications

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 2947

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lidia Magerusan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, Donat Street, No. 67-103, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: nanomaterials; nanotechnology; carbon-based materials preparation and characterization; graphene; green chemistry; electrochemistry; detection protocols; sensors; graphene-based modified electrodes; electrochemical mechanisms; portable sensing solutions; food science; polyphenols; nanomedicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,   

Antibiotics are essential and critical tools that have revolutionized modern medicine and remain indispensable in fighting and treating infectious diseases, and in controlling, suppressing and preventing the development of microbial contamination. Beyond clinical use, antibiotics play crucial roles in agriculture, veterinary medicine, aquaculture, and food preservation. However, the escalating emergence of antibiotic resistance, environmental contamination, and bioaccumulation poses urgent global challenges, demanding innovative scientific and technological solutions. Therefore, the wide-ranging and diverse area of antibiotics—including their discovery, modes of action, resistance development, environmental effects, sophisticated detection and monitoring techniques—is the focus of this Special Issue of IJMS.

We invite authors to submit contributions covering molecular design and synthesis of new antibiotics, novel therapeutic strategies, molecular interactions, mechanisms of action, and resistance mechanisms at the genetic and biochemical levels. Contributions on environmental fate and persistence, food safety, degradation pathways, and cutting-edge sensing technologies for their detection are also welcome. Both experimental and theoretical studies are welcome, including reviews and original research, with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of current progress and emerging directions in antibiotic-related science. Studies involving clinical diagnostics, therapeutic monitoring, regulatory aspects, and real-world applications are also highly encouraged—this issue aims to reflect the current challenges and future directions in antibiotic science across all relevant disciplines, providing a comprehensive platform for interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Lidia Magerusan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antibiotics
  • antibiotic molecular design and synthesis
  • antibiotic action mechanism
  • antibiotics resistance
  • environmental contamination
  • therapeutic monitoring
  • antibiotic sensing and detection
  • food and environmental safety

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1602 KB  
Article
Evaluation of In Vitro Efficiency of Ciclopirox Against Yersinia pestis and Francisella tularensis
by Idan Hefetz, Raphael Ber, David Gur and Yoav Gal
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(4), 2081; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27042081 - 23 Feb 2026
Viewed by 450
Abstract
Yersinia pestis and Francisella tularensis are Tier-1 pathogens with high interest for biodefense and public health. Evaluating the antibacterial activity of repurposed drugs against these high-priority pathogens is a key element in the ongoing effort to develop diversified antimicrobial strategies. Drug repurposing offers [...] Read more.
Yersinia pestis and Francisella tularensis are Tier-1 pathogens with high interest for biodefense and public health. Evaluating the antibacterial activity of repurposed drugs against these high-priority pathogens is a key element in the ongoing effort to develop diversified antimicrobial strategies. Drug repurposing offers a cost-effective and time-efficient approach to address antibiotic resistance by identifying new applications for existing therapeutics. In this study, we demonstrate in vitro antibacterial effect of the antifungal agent ciclopirox and offer this drug as a potential antibacterial treatment. Ciclopirox in vitro activity was previously reported against various Gram-negative bacteria, including resistant strains, primarily through iron chelation that disrupts key metabolic pathways and virulence mechanisms. Additionally, it exhibits antibiofilm activity and can potentiate the efficacy of certain antibiotics. Our findings reveal that ciclopirox effectively inhibits the in vitro growth of fully virulent strains of Y. pestis and F. tularensis, as well as avirulent isolates, including avirulent mutants that their wild-type susceptibility was reduced through selection to MIC levels defining them as “nonsusceptible” to ciprofloxacin (Y. pestis Kim53Δ70Δ10 and F. tularensis LVS) and doxycycline (LVS), or resistant to doxycycline (Kim53Δ70Δ10) according to CLSI interpretive criteria. Additionally, prolonged exposure of Y. pestis and F. tularensis to sub-MIC and MIC concentrations of ciclopirox did not lead to an increase in observed MIC during the study period. These results highlight ciclopirox as a potential candidate for treatment alternative, combined with other antibiotic substances or repurposed drugs against these bacterial threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics Science: Molecular Insights, Detection Strategies, Resistance Challenges and Interdisciplinary Applications)
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18 pages, 4560 KB  
Article
Bacillus-Based Biocontrol Agents Mediate Pathogen Killing by Biodegradable Antimicrobials from Macrolactin Family
by Elena B. Guglya, Olga A. Belozerova, Anton E. Shikov, Vera A. Alferova, Maria N. Romanenko, Vladimir K. Chebotar, Maria S. Gancheva, Maria E. Baganova, Ekaterina A. Vinogradova, Elizaveta A. Marenkova, Vladislav A. Lushpa, Anna A. Baranova, Margarita N. Baranova, Olga A. Shevtsova, Arsen M. Kudzhaev, Yuri A. Prokopenko, Sergey I. Kovalchuk, Dmitrii A. Lukianov, Kirill S. Antonets, Anton A. Nizhnikov and Stanislav S. Terekhovadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 11167; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262211167 - 19 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 990
Abstract
The transition to organic farming is one of the most desirable achievements of our time. Rational use of organic farming approaches not only enables a reduction in costs and increased yields but also limits the risks associated with the use of pesticides and [...] Read more.
The transition to organic farming is one of the most desirable achievements of our time. Rational use of organic farming approaches not only enables a reduction in costs and increased yields but also limits the risks associated with the use of pesticides and chemicals. Despite the widest practical application of numerous biocontrol agents based on Bacillus strains, their metabolome, including the main active substances, often remains unknown. In order to understand the basic principles of the functioning of the Bacillus velezensis K-3618 strain, widely used in organic farming, we studied its spectrum of antimicrobial metabolites in detail. It was shown that the main antimicrobial agents of B. velezensis K-3618 are representatives of the macrolactin family. The identified macrolactin A (MLN A) and its acylated analogs 7-O-malonyl macrolactin A (mal-MLN A) and 7-O-succinyl macrolactin A (suc-MLN A) are active against Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including multidrug-resistant strains. Among them, suc-MLN A is the most potent antimicrobial, highly active (MIC = 0.1 μg/mL) against the common human pathogen methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It was revealed that the primary mechanism of action of MLN A-based macrolactins is protein translation inhibition. Acylated macrolactins outperform MLN A in the prokaryotic cell-free system, displaying high efficiency in low micromolar concentrations. We observed that acylated MLN A analogs undergo pathogen-mediated biotransformation into MLN F analogs, having their antimicrobial activity reduced by two orders of magnitude. Hence, both acylation of MLNs and stabilization of the MLN A core are essential for the creation of new synthetic MLNs with improved antimicrobial activity and stability. However, we speculate that these degradability modes are of prime importance for bacterial ecology, and they are highly conserved in Bacillus species from various ecological niches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics Science: Molecular Insights, Detection Strategies, Resistance Challenges and Interdisciplinary Applications)
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15 pages, 5277 KB  
Article
Verapamil Suppresses the Development of Resistance Against Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs in Mycobacteria
by Kunna Liu, Elise Buitenhek, Coenraad P. Kuijl, Yuval Mulla, Joen Luirink and Dirk Bald
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 11124; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262211124 - 17 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1140
Abstract
The emergence of drug resistance remains a major challenge in the treatment of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections. To combat the rise in resistance, strategies that reduce the frequency of resistance mutations are urgently needed. Verapamil is a small-molecule compound that can enhance [...] Read more.
The emergence of drug resistance remains a major challenge in the treatment of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections. To combat the rise in resistance, strategies that reduce the frequency of resistance mutations are urgently needed. Verapamil is a small-molecule compound that can enhance the potency of companion drugs in combination regimen. Here, we investigate if verapamil can decrease the resistance frequency of antimycobacterial drugs. The results show that verapamil significantly reduces the resistance frequency of multiple antimycobacterial agents, including the DNA gyrase inhibitor moxifloxacin, the protein synthesis inhibitor streptomycin, and the RNA polymerase inhibitor rifampicin in Mycobacterium smegmatis. The presence of point mutations in the target was confirmed for moxifloxacin-resistant M. smegmatis. Suppression of resistance evolution against moxifloxacin by verapamil was also found in the slow-growing, pathogenic mycobacteria M. avium and M. tuberculosis. Real-time qPCR analysis in M. smegmatis showed that verapamil treatment downregulates the expression of multiple efflux pump genes and upregulates DNA repair genes. These findings suggest that verapamil exerts a dual role by interfering with efflux pump functionality and by reducing the probability of chromosomal mutations. The combination of these properties may underlie the promise of verapamil as adjuvant to enhance the effectiveness of current antimycobacterial chemotherapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics Science: Molecular Insights, Detection Strategies, Resistance Challenges and Interdisciplinary Applications)
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