Photodegradable antimicrobial agents: towards structure optimization

Antibiotic resistance continues to be an ominous threat facing human health globally and urgent action is required to limit the loss of human life. The pollution of antibiotics into the environment is one of the drivers behind the crisis. With this in mind, we have developed novel photodecomposable antimicrobial agents based on an ethanolamine scaffold, which upon photoirradiation decomposes into two major inactive fragments. Herein we describe our further work on the synthesis of novel ethanolamines with a particular focus on structure activity relationship, resulting in four new active compounds which photodecomposed into inactive fragments. Herein the synthesis of antimicrobial agents that photodecompose after use are described, resulting in a quicker removal of active compounds from the environment. This helps reduce the pollution of antibiotics and assist in the fight against antibiotic resistance.