Complementary Performance of Organoselenides and Organotellurides as Antimicrobials Agents

Fungi and bacteria are well-known pathogens for plants, fruits, and animals, including humans. In this context, the prospection of antimicrobial agents is crucial to provide new alternatives for the treatment of microbial diseases. Hence, selenium- and tellurium-containing compounds are underexploited and herein, antimicrobial activity of several organochalcogenated compounds was evaluated against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. A direct comparison between Se- and Te-containing compounds was performed, as well as structure-activity relationship studies. Among assayed compounds, secondary Se-amines LQ16 and LQ20 and secondary Te-amine LQ28 showed excellent results against a variety of fungi, while primary Te-amine LQ10 demonstrated promising results against bacteria. These results suggest organoselenides and organotellurides may be used for the development of new antimicrobial agents.