Disarming antibiotics with a flash of light: LED-illuminated NMR and MS analysis

Čikoš, Ana; Håheim, Katja S.; Klarić, David; Galić, Nives; Krznarić, Marija; Van Sang, Liza Nguyen; Estopiña-Duran, Susana; Sydnes, Magne O. (2026) Disarming antibiotics with a flash of light: LED-illuminated NMR and MS analysis. RSC Sustainability . ISSN 2753-8125

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Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global problem that continues to accelerate, driven, amongst other things, by the presence of antibiotics in the environment, excreted after treatment, unchanged and still bioactive. The rational design of antibiotics with a built-in light-triggered self-destruction mechanism that is activated during already existing wastewater treatment strategies (human use) or by sunlight (veterinary use) would significantly contribute to combating the development of multidrug-resistant bacteria. To ensure that such antibiotics would degrade rapidly, efficiently, and safely, it is crucial to understand their photodegradation and identify the resulting degradation products. In this LED-illuminated NMR and MS study, we investigated the photodegradation of compounds containing three structurally related functional groups susceptible to light-induced degradation: oxazolidine, dioxazepine, and ethanolamine. Both oxazolidine and dioxazepine were found to converge to a common degradation intermediate, ethanolamine, which subsequently decomposes into two major products: aniline and dioxane bishemiacetal. The high sensitivity of MS provided additional insights by revealing nine minor degradation products formed during photolysis. Elucidating the degradation pathways of these model compounds establishes a predictive framework for understanding light-induced degradation and may facilitate the rational design of more sustainable drug candidates.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Photolysis; LED-illuminated NMR; Antibiotics
Subjects:	NATURAL SCIENCES > Chemistry NATURAL SCIENCES > Chemistry > Analytic Chemistry BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE > Pharmacy
Divisions:	NMR Center
Projects:	Project title Project leader Project code Project type Europska mreža za dijagnostiku i liječenje bakterijskih infekcija otpornih na antibiotike Mattia Mori CA21145 COST action
Depositing User:	Ana Čikoš
Date Deposited:	06 Oct 2026 08:43
URI:	https://fulir.irb.hr:/id/eprint/12159
DOI:	10.1039/d6su00265j

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