Anomaly and correlation of killing in the therapeutic properties of silver (I) chelation with glutamic and tartaric acids.

OBJECTIVES To investigate whether silver chelates or silver ions are more effective as therapeutic agents, and to examine their mode of action so that safer and stable compounds that have a broad spectrum of therapeutic activities can be developed. METHODS Efficacy was investigated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442) by determining MIC via a broth macrodilution procedure using NCCLS methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing. RESULTS It was found that the responsible agent for silver therapeutic properties is the silver chelates rather than silver ions, contradicting previous findings, and the efficacy profiles mimic that of free silver ions present in solution. CONCLUSIONS Silver therapeutic activities seem to be more effective as complexes-an intracellular package-rather than free silver ions, demonstrating that the effect of silver is linked to cells' DNA unwinding, and not respiratory or membrane functionality as was traditionally recognized.