ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the principles of the biomimetic design and its implementation for the synthesis of three families of siderophore analogues: enterobactin, ferrichrome, and the ferrioxamines. It focuses on the utilization of these analogues in establishing the structural requirements for biological activity and in providing biological probes to trace iron uptake routes. The chapter shows how biomimetic siderophores may be applied to achieve two inherently opposite effects; growth promotion of desired cultures by enhancing iron uptake, or growth inhibition of pathogenic parasites by causing iron deprivation. Siderophores are low molecular weight molecules that are excreted by microorganisms when grown in iron-deficient media. The study of microbial iron(III) uptake proceeded initially along two almost independent lines. The first aimed primarily at the isolation and characterization of microbial siderophores, the second at elucidating the underlying biological machinery. In addition to the usefulness of biomimetic iron(III) carriers as mechanistic probes, such carriers promise application as growth promoters of agronomically important cultures.
