Piperazinyl-linked fluoroquinolone dimers possessing potent antibacterial activity against drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

The synthesis of symmetric and asymmetric piperazinyl-linked dimers of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics is described. Specific dimers are shown to possess potent antibacterial activity against drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including strains possessing resistance due to the NorA multidrug efflux pump and a mutation in the quinolone resistance-determining region of topoisomerase IV. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.