Overall

Conflict of Interest: In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Publication history: Received October 9, 2024
Revised February 5, 2025
Accepted April 20, 2025
Available online July 25, 2025

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Synthesis of Cefi xime–Gelatin Chemical Conjugated Microparticles and Their Antibacterial Activity Against Escherichia coli

Sathianarayanan Sankaran Avinash Shivdas¹ Jose Asha² Mahendra Gowdru Srinivasa Rekha Thiruvengadam³ Shine Kadaikunnan⁴ Naiyf S. Alharbi⁴ Rekha Arcot^5† Muthu Thiruvengadam^6†

Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry , Nitte (Deemed to be University), NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Pharmaceutical Chemistry ¹Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham , Kochi ²Department of Nephrology, Bostan Medical Center , Boston University, ³Department of Community Medicine , Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University ⁴Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science , King Saud University ⁵Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre ⁶Department of Applied Bioscience, College of Life and Environmental Science , Konkuk University

rekha_a@yahoo.com, muthu@konkuk.ac.kr

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, July 2025, 42(8), 000042
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-025-00469-2

Abstract

Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) is a Gram-negative bacillus found in the intestine, which can also cause intestinal and extraintestinal

illnesses in humans. Several hundred E. coli strains have been identifi ed to cause diseases ranging from mild, self-limiting

gastroenteritis to renal failure and septic shock. Its virulence allows E. coli to evade host defenses and develop resistance

to common antibiotics. The aim of our study was to develop an aqueous-soluble cefi xime conjugate for the treatment of E.

coli infections. Cefi xime shows excellent activity against E. coli strains. However, it has poor aqueous solubility. Thus, it

was conjugated with gelatin using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) to produce a Cefi xime–gelatin

chemical conjugate (CGcc) with a signifi cantly higher solubility than that of the pure drug, which may produce a better

therapeutic eff ect. The conjugate was characterized using spectral data. The conjugate was determined to be non-hemolytic

and non-toxic to L929 cells. The antibacterial activity of CGcc against E. coli was evaluated in vitro using the disc-diff usion

method. The results showed that CGcc was slightly soluble in methanol, but very soluble in water and PBS, and its melting

point was found to be 224–230 °C. The SEM images revealed that the CGcc exhibited a spherical morphology. All spectral

data support the chemical conjugation of gelatin. The conjugation effi ciency of CGcc was 74.54 ± 3.358%. In addition to its

hemocompatibility and biocompatibility, CGcc exhibited enhanced solubility. The antibacterial eff ects revealed that CGcc

exhibited good antibacterial activity against E. coli . CGcc showed a clear zone of inhibition and it was found to be 11.74 mm

for 0.5 μg and 15.13 mm for 1 μg, respectively. Overall, the cefi xime–gelatin chemical conjugate was eff ective in treating

E. coli infections. This preliminary study may provide valuable insights into therapeutic eff ects during both preclinical and

clinical trials. Detailed innovative methods are needed for the future alteration of gelatin and cefi xime and integration of

polymers into proper therapeutic applications.

Keywords

Cefi xime · Gelatin · E. coli · Chemical conjugate · Microparticles · Gram-negative bacteria