Iron-chelating activity of tetracyclines and its impact on the susceptibility of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans to these antibiotics.

Three tetracyclines (tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline) were found to possess iron-chelating activity in a colorimetric siderophore assay. Determination of MICs indicated that the activity of doxycycline against the periodontopathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was only slightly influenced by the presence of an excess of iron that likely saturates the antibiotic. On the other hand, the MICs of doxycycline and minocycline were significantly lower for A. actinomycetemcomitans cultivated under iron-poor conditions than under iron-rich conditions.