Drug repositioning: auranofin as a prospective antimicrobial agent for the treatment of severe staphylococcal infections

Auranofin, (AF), a gold(I) complex in clinical use for the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis, is reported here to produce remarkable bactericidal effects in vitro against Staphylococcus sp. Noticeably, a similar antimicrobial action and potency are also noticed toward a few methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains but not toward Escherichia coli. The time and concentration dependencies of the antimicrobial actions of AF have been characterized through recording time kill curves, and a concentration dependent profile highlighted. Overall, the present results point out that auranofin might be quickly and successfully repurposed for the treatment of severe bacterial infections due to resistant Staphylococci.