Discovery of novel methanone derivatives acting as antimycobacterial agents

A series of pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized and in vitro activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv was carried out. Among the synthesized compounds, compounds (4d) and (4f) 4-aminophenyl-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-2,3,3a,4-tetrahydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazol-2-ylmethanone and 4-aminophenyl-6,7-dimethoxy-3-phenyl-2,3,3a,4-tetrahydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazol-2-ylmethanone were found to be the most active agent against M. tuberculosis H37Rv with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 10?μg/mL.     

Synthesis,screening and docking analysis of hispolon analogs as potential antitubercular agents

A series of 20 hispolons/dihydrohispolons were synthesized and characterized by spectral data. These compounds were subjected to in vitro antitubercular activity screening against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Rv) strain. The synthesized compounds showed varied antitubercular activity ranging from 100 to 1.6 μg/mL. Among the screened compounds, four compounds (H1, H2, H3 and H15) have shown moderate activity with MIC 25 μg/mL. Potent activities were observed for the dihydrohispolon derivative H14 (MIC 1.6 μg/mL) followed by H13 (6.25 μg/mL) and H17 (12.5 μg/mL), H19 (3.125 μg/ML). Docking simulations gave good insights on the possible interactions between the tested compounds and β-keto acyl synthase enzyme (mtbFabH). Drug-inhibitor combination studies showed no synergism with the drugs targeting mycolic acid biosynthesis (isoniazid, ethambutol and thiolactomycin, a specific inhibitor of KAS-B enzyme) but showed significant synergism with other drugs including rifampicin and ciprofloxacin ascertaining the drug target for hispolons as inhibition of mycolic acid biosynthesis, probably via mtbFabH.     

In vitro anti-TB properties,in silico target validation,molecular docking and dynamics studies of substituted 1,2,4-oxadiazole analogues against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The alarming increase in multi- and extensively drug-resistant (MDR and XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has triggered the scientific community to search for novel, effective, and safer therapeutics. To this end, a series of 3,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives (3a–3i) were tested against H37Rv, MDR and XDR strains of MTB. Of which, compound 3a with para-trifluorophenyl substituted oxadiazole showed excellent activity against the susceptible H37Rv and MDR-MTB strain with a MIC values of 8 and 16 µg/ml, respectively.To understand the mechanism of action of these compounds (3a–3i) and identify their putative drug target, molecular docking and dynamics studies were employed against a panel of 20 mycobacterial enzymes reported to be essential for mycobacterial growth and survival. These computational studies revealed polyketide synthase (Pks13) enzyme as the putative target. Moreover, in silico ADMET predictions showed satisfactory properties for these compounds, collectively, making them, particularly compound 3a, promising leads worthy of further optimisation.     

Design,synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of 3,5-dinitrobenzamide derivatives containing fused ring moieties

We report herein the design, synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of 3,5-dinitrobenzamide derivatives containing fused ring moieties. Results reveal that many of the target compounds have considerable in vitro antitubercular activity. Especially, N-((2-(4-fluorophenyl)/N-((2-(3-fluorobenzyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquilin-6-yl)methyl)-3,5-dinitrobenzamides 18a and 20e exhibit potent MIC values of 0.056–0.078?μg/mL against both drug-sensitive Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Rv strain and two clinically isolated multidrug-resistant MTB (MDR-MTB) strains, opening a new direction for further SAR studies.     

Design,synthesis and in vitro anti-mycobacterial evaluation of gatifloxacin-1H-1,2,3-triazole-isatin hybrids

A set of novel gatifloxacin-1H-1,2,3-triazole-isatin hybrids 6a-l was designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anti-mycobacterial activities against M. tuberculosis (MTB) H₃₇Rv and MDR-TB as well as cytotoxicity. The results showed that all the targets (MIC: 0.025–3.12 μg/mL) exhibited excellent inhibitory activity against MTB H₃₇Rv and MDR-TB, but were much more toxic (CC₅₀: 7.8–62.5 μg/mL) than the parent gatifloxacin (GTFX) (CC₅₀: 125 μg/mL). Among them, 61 (MIC: 0.025 μg/mL) was 2–32 times more potent in vitro than the references INH (MIC: 0.05 μg/mL), GTFX (MIC: 0.78 μg/mL) and RIF (MIC: 0.39 μg/mL) against MTB H₃₇Rv. The most active conjugate 6 k (MIC: 0.06 μg/mL) was 16–>2048 times more potent than the three references (MIC: 1.0–>128 μg/mL) against MDR-TB. Both of the two hybrids warrant further investigations.     

Identification of new benzamide inhibitor against α-subunit of tryptophan synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis through structure-based virtual screening,anti-tuberculosis activity and molecular dynamics simulations

Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis has emerged as global health threat, causing millions of deaths worldwide. Identification of new drug candidates for tuberculosis (TB) by targeting novel and less explored protein targets will be invaluable for antituberculosis drug discovery. We performed structure-based virtual screening of eMolecules database against a homology model of relatively unexplored protein target: the α-subunit of tryptophan synthase (α-TRPS) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis essential for bacterial survival. Based on physiochemical properties analysis and molecular docking, the seven candidate compounds were selected and evaluated through whole cell-based activity against the H37Rv strain of M. tuberculosis. A new Benzamide inhibitor against α-subunit of tryptophan synthase (α-TRPS) from M. tuberculosis has been identified causing 100% growth inhibition at 25 μg/ml and visible bactericidal activity at 6 μg/ml. This benzamide inhibitor displayed a good predicted binding score (?48.24 kcal/mol) with the α-TRPS binding pocket and has logP value (2.95) comparable to Rifampicin. Further refinement of docking results and evaluation of inhibitor-protein complex stability were investigated through Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations studies. Following MD simulations, Root mean square deviation, Root mean square fluctuation and secondary structure analysis confirmed that protein did not unfold and ligand stayed inside the active pocket of protein during the explored time scale. This identified benzamide inhibitor against the α-subunit of TRPS from M. tuberculosis could be considered as candidate for drug discovery against TB and will be further evaluated for enzyme-based inhibition in future studies.     

Synthesis,characterization and in vitro biological evaluation of some novel 1,3,5-triazine–Schiff base conjugates as potential antimycobacterial agents

A series of some novel 1,3,5-triazine–Schiff base conjugates (1–32) have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using Alamar Blue assay and the activity expressed as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in μg/mL. Compounds 4 (4-Methoxy-6-methyl-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene)-1,3,5-triazin-2-amine), 11 (4-Methoxy-6-methyl-N-(2-hydroxy-3-bromo-5-chloro-benzylidene)-1,3,5-triazin-2-amine) and 24 (4-Methoxy-6-methyl-N-(1-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)ethylidene)-1,3,5-triazin-2-amine) exhibited a significant activity at 3.125, 6.25 and 6.25 μg/mL, respectively, when compared with the antitubercular drugs such as ethambutol (3.125 μg/mL), pyrazinamide (6.25 μg/mL) and streptomycin (6.25 μg/mL) and it could be a potential starting point to develop new lead compounds in the fight against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.     

Evaluation of Antituberculosis Activity and in Silico Properties of Oxymethylene-cyclo-1,3-diones

Tuberculosis is a leading infectious disease that has infected one-third of the world's population and is more prevalent among people belonging to developing countries such as India and China. In the present study, a series of substituted oxymethylene-cyclo-1,3-diones was synthesized and screened for anti-tuberculosis activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (M. tuberculosis). The compounds were synthesized by condensation of 1,3-cyclicdione, substituted phenols/ alcohols and triethyl orthoformate. The synthesized compounds were screened for anti-tuberculosis activity against M.tuberculosis H37Rv using Middlebrook 7H9 broth assay. Results demonstrated that among the synthesized library of molecules, two compounds 2-(2-hydroxyphenoxymethylene)-5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione and 5,5-dimethyl-2-(2-trifluoromethylphenoxymethylene)cyclohexane-1,3-dione were found to be most active against M. tuberculosis (MICs of 1.25 μg/mL⁻¹). The MICs of 2-(2,4-difluoro-phenoxymethylene)-5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione and 2-(2-bromophenoxymethylene)-5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione were found to be 5 and 10 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. Data from the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that all the four most active compounds did not exhibit cytotoxicity against human cell lines. Molecular docking studies revealed that the most active compound targets mycobacterial InhA enzyme. In summary, the present study demonstrates the methodology for the synthesis of oxymethylene-cyclo-1,3-diones and identified two potential anti-tuberculosis compounds.     

Design,synthesis, and bioevaluation of a novel class of (E)-4-oxo-crotonamide derivatives as potent antituberculosis agents

A series of novel (E)-4-oxo-2-crotonamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to find potent antituberculosis agents. All the target compounds were evaluated for their in vitro activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv(MTB). Results reveal that 4-phenyl moiety at part A and short methyl group at part C were found to be favorable. Most of the derivatives displayed promising activity against MTB with MIC ranging from 0.125 to 4?µg/mL. Especially, compound IIIa16 was found to have the best activity with MIC of 0.125?μg/mL against MTB and with MIC in the range of 0.05–0.48?µg/mL against drug-resistant clinical MTB isolates.     

Molecular properties prediction and synthesis of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole analogues as potent antimicrobial and antitubercular agents

In the present investigation, a series of 1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-4-{[(5-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)methyl]amino}-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one were subjected to molecular properties prediction, drug-likeness by Molinspiration (Molinspiration, 2008) and MolSoft (MolSoft, 2007) software, lipophilicity and solubility parameters using ALOGPS 2.1 program. The compounds followed the Lipinski ‘Rule of five’ were synthesized for antimicrobial and antitubercular screening as oral bioavailable drugs/leads. Maximum drug-likeness model score (0.95) was found for compound, 4a. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, NMR and mass spectral analysis followed by antimicrobial and antimycobacterial screening. Among the title compounds, compound 4d showed pronounced activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv and isoniazid resistant M. tuberculosis (INHR-TB) with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) 0.78 μM and 1.52 μM, respectively. The compound, 4a showed maximum activity against all bacterial strains with MIC 4–8 μg/mL comparable to standard drug ciprofloxacin, while the compounds, 4e and 4k showed maximum antifungal activity with MIC 8–16 μg/mL less active than standard drug fluconazole.     

Synthesis,antimicrobial activity and acid dissociation constants of methyl 5,5-diphenyl-1-(thiazol-2-yl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate derivatives

In this study, a series of polysubstituted methyl 5,5-diphenyl-1-(thiazol-2-yl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate derivatives were designed and synthesized by the cyclization reaction of methyl 1-(benzoylcarbamothioyl)-5,5-diphenylpyrrolidine-2-carboxylates and 2-bromo-1-(4-substituted phenyl)ethanones in 70–96% yield. The starting pyrrolidine derivatives were synthesized via a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction in 83–88% yield. The stereochemistry of one of these methyl 5,5-diphenyl-1-(thiazol-2-yl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate derivatives was characterized by a single crystal X-ray diffraction study and the acid dissociation constants of these compounds were determined. An antimicrobial screening was performed against different bacterial and fungal strains and against the M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain. Interesting antibacterial activity was observed for two compounds against the A. baumannii strain with MIC values of 31.25?µg/mL (Ampicillin: 125?µg/mL) and against the M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain with MIC values of 0.98–1.96?µg/mL (Isoniazid: 0.98?µg/mL, Ethambutol: 1.96?µg/mL). Therefore, these structures can be considered as good starting points for the development of new powerful antimycobacterial agents.     

Aptamer inhibits <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</Emphasis> (H37Rv) invasion of macrophage

There is an urgent need to develop new anti-tuberculosis drugs due to the rising tendency in tuberculosis (TB) around the world. It is known that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) generally infects mammalian host via aerosol route. The pathogenic process has been fully studied that it can initially invade alveolar macrophage, then established stable residence within those phagocytic cells, suggesting that one of the possible ways to prevent this pathogen is to inhibit its invasion and growth in the macrophage. Aptamers from SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) have been used to rival virulent M. tuberculosis (H37Rv) in our previous work, and the materials to which aptamers bound were proved to be some outer membrane proteins of H37Rv. In the present study, the interaction between M. tuberculosis and macrophage in the presence of aptamers was investigated in more details. The results suggested that the selective aptamers significantly inhibited H37Rv invasion of macrophage in vitro, and the effect correspond to the binding affinity of these aptamers to H37Rv. The values of equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) was calculated by flow cytometry, all in the nanomolar range, showed much higher affinity to H37Rv than M. bovis Bacillus Guerin (BCG). Moreover, the aptamer-treated H37Rv can stimulate IFN-γ, IL-15 and IL-17 secretion of macrophages compared with H37Rv (no treated). In summary, our data indicated that the NK2 aptamer not only acted as anti-tuberculosis agent by inhibiting virulent M. tuberculosis (H37Rv) invasion of macrophage, but also might be used as molecular probe for exploring the interaction between the outer membrane of M. tuberculosis and macrophage.     

Amino ether analogues of 4,4′-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-6,7′-cyclolignan and their activity against drug-resistant bacteria

Larrea tridentata antibacterial lignan 4,4′-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-6,7′-cyclolignan (1) was derivatized to obtain eleven new amino ether derivatives (2 A-12 C). The structural elucidation of compounds was performed by analysis of 1D- and 2D NMR spectral data and HRESIMS. The antibacterial activity of compounds was determined against nine drug-resistant bacteria and two strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (sensitive ATCC 27294 H37Rv and drug-resistant G122). Results showed that all derivatives were devoid of activity towards six gram-negative clinical isolates assayed. However, seven derivatives displayed antibacterial activity against three gram-positive drug-resistant bacteria. Further, enhancement of antibacterial activity was only observed for the compounds 2 A and 10 C-12 C (MIC of 12.5 µg/mL) which were two-fold more active than the starting material 1 against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. All derivatives, except compound 9 B, showed antitubercular activity against both M. tuberculosis strains. Interestingly, all the compounds, except for 2 A and 11 A, were more active than the starting material 1 (MIC of 50 µg/mL). Compound 4 C was the only compound as active as the positive control ethambutol against the drug-resistant strain M. tuberculosis G122 (MIC of 6.25 µg/mL). In addition, the derivative 7 C was the most active compound against the sensitive strain M. tuberculosis H37Rv (MIC of 6.25 µg/mL)     

Synthesis and evaluation of a novel series of pseudo-cinnamic derivatives as antituberculosis agents

In an effort to develop potent new antituberculous drugs effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we have prepared series of cinnamic derivatives (thioesters and amides) with 4-hydroxy and 4-alkoxy groups and investigated the in vitro activities of these compounds. Among them some displayed a good in vitro antibacterial activity, such as (E)-N-(2-acetamidoethyl)-3-{4-[(E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienyloxy]phenyl}acrylamide 4b that showed a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.1 μg/mL (0.26 μM) against M. tuberculosis H37Rv.     

5-Nitrofuran-2-yl derivatives: Synthesis and inhibitory activities against growing and dormant mycobacterium species

Eighteen 5-nitrofuran-2-yl derivatives were prepared by reacting 5-nitro-2-furfural with various (sub)phenyl/pyridyl thiosemicarbazide using microwave irradiation. The compounds were tested for their in vitro activity against tubercular and various non-tubercular mycobacterium species in log-phase and 6-week-starved cultures. Compound N-(3,5-dibromopyridin-2-yl)-2-((5-nitrofuran-2-yl)methylene)hydrazinecarbothioamide (4r) was found to be the most potent compound (MIC: 0.22 μM) and was 3 times more active than standard isoniazid (INH) and equally active as rifampicin (RIF) in log-phase culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. In starved M. tuberculosis H37Rv, 4r inhibited with MIC of 13.9 μM and was found to be 50 times more active than INH and slightly more active than RIF.     

Synthesis and antitubercular activity of amino alcohol fused spirochromone conjugates

A series of 21 new amino alcohol fused spirochromone conjugates have been synthesized, characterized with analytical data and evaluated their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (virulent strain H37Rv) in vitro. Some of the compounds exerted significant inhibition, in particular, compound 4f found to be the most potent derivative exhibiting MIC = 3.13 μg/mL.     

Microwave assisted one-pot synthesis of highly potent novel isoniazid analogues

A series of novel isoniazid (INH) analogues were synthesized by microwave assisted one pot reaction of INH, various benzaldehydes and dimedone in water with catalytic amount of DBSA. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-TB activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (MTB) and multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Among the 29 compounds, compound N-[9-[2-(benzyloxy)phenyl]-3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,8-dioxo-2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-10(1H)-acridinyl]isonicotinamide (12) inhibited MTB with MIC of <0.17 μM and MDR-TB with MIC of 0.69 μM.     

Antimycobacterial activity: synthesis of novel 3-(substituted phenyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-3a,4-dihydro-3H-indeno[1,2-c]isoxazole analogues

In this study, a series of novel 3-(substituted phenyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-3a,4-dihydro-3H-indeno[1,2-c]isoxazole analogues were synthesized and evaluated for antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H₃₇Rv and isoniazid resistant M. tuberculosis (INHR-MTB). All the newly synthesized compounds were showing moderate to high inhibitory activities. The compound 6,7-dimethoxy-3-(4-chloro phenyl)-4H-indeno[1,2-c]isoxazole (4b) was found to be the most promising compound, active against MTB H₃₇Rv and INHR-MTB with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.22 and 0.34 μM.     

Synthesis and antimycobacterial activities of some new thiazolylhydrazone derivatives

This Letter reports the synthesis and evaluation of some thiazolylhydrazone derivatives for their in vitro antimycobacterial activities against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. The cytotoxic activities of all compounds were also evaluated. The compounds exhibited promising antimycobacterial activity with MICs of 1.03–72.46 μM and weak cytotoxicity (8.9–36.8% at 50 μg/mL). Among them, 1-(4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)benzylidene)-2-(4-(4-nitrophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)hydrazine 10 was found to be the most active compound (MIC of 1.03 μM) with a good safety profile (16.4% at 50 μg/mL). Molecular modeling studies were done to have an idea for the mechanism of the action of the target compounds. According the docking results it can be claimed that these compounds may bind most likely to TMPK than InhA or CYP121.     

Design,synthesis and molecular modeling studies on novel moxifloxacin derivatives as potential antibacterial and antituberculosis agents

Twenty-one novel alkyl/acyl/sulfonyl substituted fluoroquinolone derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anti-tuberculosis and antibacterial activity. The targeted compounds were synthesized by the introduction of alkyl, acyl or sulfonyl moieties to the basic secondary amine moiety of moxifloxacin. Structures of the compounds were enlightened by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and HRMS data besides elemental analysis. Compounds were initially tested in vitro for their anti-mycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using microplate alamar blue assay. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of all compounds were found between > 25.00–0.39 µg/mL while compounds 1, 2 and 13 revealed an outstanding activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv with MIC values of 0.39 µg/mL. Activities of compounds 1–21 against to a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fast growing mycobacterium strain were also investigated by agar well diffusion and microdilution methods. According to antimicrobial activity results, compound 13 was found the most potent derivative with a IC₅₀ value of <1.23 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and clinical strain of methicillin-resistant clinical strain of S. aureus.