Synthesis,biological evaluations and computational studies of N-(3-(-2-(7-Chloroquinolin-2-yl)vinyl) benzylidene)anilines as fungal biofilm inhibitors

In the present investigation, new chloroquinoline derivatives bearing vinyl benzylidene aniline substituents at 2nd position were synthesized and screed for biofilm inhibitory, antifungal and antibacterial activity. The result of biofilm inhibition of C. albicans suggested that compounds 5j (IC₅₀ value?=?51.2?μM) and 5a (IC₅₀ value?=?66.2?μM) possess promising antibiofilm inhibition when compared with the standard antifungal drug fluconazole (IC₅₀?=?40.0?μM). Two compounds 5a (MIC?=?94.2?μg/mL) and 5f (MIC?=?98.8?μg/mL) also exhibited good antifungal activity comparable to standard drug fluconazole (MIC?=?50.0?μg/mL). The antibacterial screening against four strains of bacteria viz. E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis, and S. aureus suggested their potential antibacterial activity and especially all the compounds except 5g were found more active than the standard drug ciprofloxacin against B. subtilis. To further gain insights into the possible mechanism of these compounds in biofilm inhibition through the agglutinin like protein (Als), molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies were carried out. Molecular modeling studies suggested the clear role in inhibition of this protein and the resulting biofilm inhibitory activity.     

Dihydropyrrolones as bacterial quorum sensing inhibitors

Bacteria regulate their pathogenicity and biofilm formation through quorum sensing (QS), which is an intercellular communication system mediated by the binding of signaling molecules to QS receptors such as LasR. In this study, a range of dihydropyrrolone (DHP) analogues were synthesized via the lactone-lactam conversion of lactone intermediates. The synthesized compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit QS, biofilm formation and bacterial growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The compounds were also docked into a LasR crystal structure to rationalize the observed structure-activity relationships. The most active compound identified in this study was compound 9i, which showed 63.1% QS inhibition of at 31.25?µM and 60% biofilm reduction at 250?µM with only moderate toxicity towards bacterial cell growth.     

Synthesis and biofilm inhibition studies of 2-(2-amino-6-arylpyrimidin-4-yl)quinazolin-4(3H)-ones

Synthesis of novel 4(3H)-quinazolinonyl aminopyrimidine derivatives has been achieved via quinazolinonyl enones which in turn were obtained from 2-acyl-4(3H)-quinazolinone. They have been assayed for biofilm inhibition against Gram-positive (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) and Gram-negative bacteria (Acinetobacter baumannii). The analogues with 2,4,6-trimethoxy phenyl, 4-methylthio phenyl, and 3-bromo phenyl substituents (5h, 5j & 5k) have been shown to inhibit biofilm formation efficiently in MRSA with IC₅₀ values of 20.7–22.4 μM). The analogues 5h and 5j have demonstrated low toxicity in human cells in vitro and can be investigated further as leads.     

Novel synthetic organic compounds inspired from antifeedant marine alkaloids as potent bacterial biofilm inhibitors

In this paper, we have reported seventeen novel synthetic organic compounds derived from marine bromopyrrole alkaloids, exhibiting potential inhibition of biofilm produced by Gram-positive bacteria. Compound 5f with minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of 0.39, 0.78 and 3.125 μg/mL against MSSA, MRSA and SE respectively, emerged as promising anti-biofilm lead compounds. In addition, compounds 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5h, 5i and 5j revealed equal potency as that of the standard drug Vancomycin (MBIC = 3.125 μg/mL) against Streptococcus epidermidis. Notably, most of the synthesized compounds displayed better potency than Vancomycin indicating their potential as inhibitors of bacterial biofilm. The cell viability assay for the most active hybrid confirms its anti-virulence properties which need to be further researched.     

Activity of caffeic acid derivatives against Candida albicans biofilm

The aim of this study was to evaluate the caffeic acid (1) and ester derivatives (2–10) against Candida albicans biofilm and to investigate whether these compounds are able to inhibit the biofilm formation or destroy pre-formed biofilm.Caffeic acid ester 7, cinnamic acid ester 8 and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid ester 10 are more active than fluconazole, used as reference drug, both on biofilm in formation with MIC₅₀ values of 32, 32 and 16 μg/mL, respectively, and in the early stage of biofilm formation (4 h) with MIC₅₀ values of 64, 32 and 64 μg/mL, respectively. These esters result also more active than fluconazole on mature biofilm (24 h), especially 8 and 10 with MIC₅₀ values of 64 μg/mL.     

Design,synthesis and evaluation of novel pyrazolo-pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine derivatives as potent antibacterial and biofilm inhibitors

An efficient four-component reaction of 6-amino-1,3-dimethyluracil, N,N-dimethylformamide dimethylacetal, 1-phenyl-3-(4-substituted-phenyl)-4-formyl-1H-pyrazoles and aromatic amines was conducted in the presence of [Bmim]FeCl₄ ionic liquid as a promoting medium. This strategy provided a convenient route without any additional catalyst or metal salt under mild conditions. All the synthesized pyrazolo-pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidines derivatives were evaluated for their antibacterial, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), biofilm inhibition, intracellular ROS accumulation and protein leakage activities. The results revealed that among all the screened derivatives, the compounds 5c, 5i, 5l and 5m were quite promising with MIC values ranging between 3.9 and 15.6 μg/mL, while the MBC values were 2-fold the antibacterial activity values. The biofilm inhibition activity revealed that the compounds 5l and 5 m exhibited promising activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 1.8 and 8.2 μg/mL. It was observed that at a concentration of 0.5 μg/mL, the compound 5l treated biofilms of Micrococcus luteus showed increased levels of intracellular ROS accumulation. Further, the protein leakage study revealed that the Micrococcus luteus cells treated with compound 5l caused membrane permeability which resulted in protein leakage and subsequent bacterial cell death.     

Studies on synthesis of novel pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives,evaluation of their antimicrobial activity and molecular docking

A series of novel pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives 6 were prepared starting from 2-amino-3-cyano-4-trifluoromethyl-6-phenyl pyridine 3 via Grignard’s reaction, cyclization followed by coupling with aliphatic and cyclic amines. All the compounds 6 were screened for antibacterial, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), biofilm inhibition activity as well as antifungal and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) activities. Among the screened compounds, the compounds 6e, 6f, and 6m which showed exhibiting promising activity have been identified. The results reveal that the compound pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative 6e altered the sterol profile which may exert its antifungal activity through inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis and could be an ideal candidate for antifungal therapy. The molecular docking results also validated the antifungal results.     

γ-Alkylidene-γ-lactones and isobutylpyrrol-2(5H)-ones analogues to rubrolides as inhibitors of biofilm formation by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

Several molecules have been discovered that interfere with formation of bacterial biofilms, opening a new strategy for the development of more efficient treatments in case of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Amongst the most active compounds are some natural brominated furanones from marine algae Delisea pulchra that have proven to be able to control pathogenic biofilms. We have recently reported that some rubrolide analogues are able to inhibit biofilm formation of Enterococcus faecalis. In the present Letter we describe results of the biological evaluation of a small library of 28 compounds including brominated furanones and the corresponding lactams against biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus mutans. Our results showed that in general these compounds were more active against biofilms of S. epidermidis and P. aeruginosa, with little or no inhibition of planktonic bacterial growth. In some cases they were able to prevent biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa at concentrations as low as 0.6 μg/mL (1.3 μM, compound 3d) and 0.7 μg/mL (1.3 μM, 3f). Results also indicate that, in general, lactams are more active against biofilms than their precursors, thus designating this class of molecules as good candidates for the development of a new generation of antimicrobial drugs targeted to biofilm inhibition.     

Convenient framework of poly functionalized (E)-2-benzylideno-(Z)-carbazolylideno cyanoacetamides via rearrangements as an efficient antibiofilm inhibitors with SAR study

A simple and one-pot approach for the synthesis of highly functionalized novel (E)-2-benzylideno-(Z)-carbazolylideno cyanoacetamide derivatives from different 2-(2′,3′,4′,9′-tetrahydro-carbazol-1′-ylidene)-propanedinitriles and aryl/heteroaryl carbaldehydes via vinylogous aldol reaction. The structures of the molecules were designated by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR studies, elemental and X-ray crystallographic analysis. The synthesized pure products have been screened for in vitro antibiofilm inhibitory activity towards antibiotic-resistant pathogenic organisms. All the synthesized compounds showed biofilm inhibition. Promisingly, the moieties 3a, 3d and 3h showed higher antibiofilm activity at biofilm inhibitory concentration (BIC) (200?μg/mL) against bacterial pathogens. Among the three moieties, 3a showed high prospective against E. coli biofilm with minimal and maximal BIC percentage of 32% (10?μg/mL) and 89% (100?μg/mL) and chosen lowest BIC for further evaluation. Also, the 3a generate ROS two fold at 1?h treatment in E. coli biofilm. The 3a exhibited no toxic effect on cell viability upto 75?μg/mL in HEK293 cell lines. The results of the present study reveal that among (E)-2-benzylideno-(Z)-carbazolylideno cyanoacetamides, (E)-2-benzylideno-6-methyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazol-(Z)-α-carbamino-α-cyano-1-ylidene (3a) could be exploited as an excellent antibiofilm agent against carbapenem-resistant E. coli bacteria strains.     

Synthesis of cyclic di-nucleotidic acids as potential inhibitors targeting diguanylate cyclase

Five analogs of cyclic di-nucleotidic acid including c-di-GMP were synthesized and evaluated for their biological activities on Slr1143, a diguanylate cyclase of Synechocystis sp. Slr1143 was overexpressed from the recombinant plasmid which contained the gene of interest and subsequently purified by affinity chromatography. A new HPLC method capable of separating the compound and product peaks with good resolution was optimized and applied to the analysis of the compounds. Results obtained show that cyclic di-inosinylic acid 1b demonstrates a stronger inhibition on Slr1143 than c-di-GMP and is a potential inhibitor for biofilm formation.     

A new antibacterial amino phenyl pyrrolidone derivative from a novel marine gliding bacterium Rapidithrix thailandica

A recently described marine gliding bacterium Rapidithrix thailandica strain TISTR 1741 was isolated from biofilm specimen collected from the Andaman Sea in Thailand. Four liters fermentation broth of R. thailandica TISTR 1741 cultivated in VY/2 medium were extracted with methanol to yield a novel amino phenyl pyrrolidone derivative compound (1) with antibacterial activities. The chemical structure and physico-chemical properties of 1 were investigated by spectrometry techniques. Compound 1 exhibited selective inhibition against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE) with the MIC of 5.97 mM.     

Anti-tubercular agents. Part 8: Synthesis,antibacterial and antitubercular activity of 5-nitrofuran based 1,2,3-triazoles

A series of 5-nitrofuran–triazole conjugates were synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. All the compounds exhibited promising inhibition towards Gram-positive pathogenic strains, while mild inhibitory effects were observed towards Gram-negative bacterial strains. Some of the compounds 8a, 8b, 8e, 8f, 8h are most active among the series exhibiting MIC value of 1.17 μg/ml against different bacterial strains. The bactericidal activity is found to be in accordance with the bacterial growth inhibition data. Compound 8e was found to be equipotent to the standard drug Ciprofloxacin displaying MBC value of 1.17 μg/ml against the bacterial strain Bacillus subtilis. The compounds have also demonstrated promising antibacterial activity against the resistant strain MRSA and were found to be effective inhibitors of biofilm formation. The compound 8b exhibited excellent anti-biofilm activity with IC₅₀ value as low as 0.8 μg/ml. These conjugates were also screened for antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv strain. Compound 8e showed promising antitubercular activity with MIC value of 0.25 μg/ml. Most of these compounds are less toxic to normal mammalian cells than the widely used antibacterial drug Ciprofloxacin.     

Structure-guided design and development of novel benzimidazole class of compounds targeting DNA gyraseB enzyme of Staphylococcus aureus

The gyraseB subunit of Staphylococcus aureus DNA gyrase is a well-established and validated target though less explored for the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Starting from the available structural information in PDB (3TTZ), we identified a novel series of benzimidazole used as inhibitors of DNA gyraseB with low micromolar inhibitory activity by employing structure-based drug design strategy. Subsequently, this chemical class of DNA gyrase inhibitors was extensively investigated biologically through in vitro assays, biofilm inhibition assays, cytotoxicity, and in vivo studies. The binding affinity of the most potent inhibitor 10 was further ascertained biophysically through differential scanning fluorimetry. Further, the most potent analogues did not show any signs of cardiotoxicity in Zebra fish ether-a-go-go-related gene (zERG), a major breakthrough among the previously reported cardiotoxic gyraseB inhibitors.     

Regioselective synthesis of 3-benzyl substituted pyrimidino chromen-2-ones and evaluation of anti-microbial and anti-biofilm activities

Regioselective synthesis of a number of highly functionalized 3-benzylpyrimidino chromen-2-ones (4) were accomplished in a one pot three component reaction in acetic acid and determined their anti-microbial and anti-biofilm activities. Compounds 4o and 4p showed an excellent anti-microbial activity against Micrococcus luteus MTCC 2470 at a par with standard control (Ciprofloxacin) and exhibited best activity against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 and Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121. Further, compounds 4h, 4i, 4m, 4n and 4q showed promising activity against Micrococcus luteus MTCC 2470, Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 and Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121. Whereas, compounds 4m showed very promising biofilm inhibition activity against Staphylococcus aureus MLS 16 MTCC 2940 and 4o, 4p showed very potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 at a par with Ciprofloxacin used as standard control.     

Bicyclic brominated furanones: A new class of quorum sensing modulators that inhibit bacterial biofilm formation

Both natural and synthetic brominated furanones are known to inhibit biofilm formation by bacteria, but their toxicity to mammalian cells is often not reported. Here, we designed and synthesized a new class of brominated furanones (BBFs) that contained a bicyclic structure having one bromide group with well-defined regiochemistry. This class of molecules exhibited reduction in the toxicity to mammalian cells (human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH) and did not inhibit bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) growth, but retained the inhibitory activity towards biofilm formation of bacteria. In addition, all the BBFs inhibited the production of virulence factor elastase B in P. aeruginosa. To explore the effect of BBFs on quorum sensing, we used a reporter gene assay and found that 6-BBF and 7-BBF exhibited antagonistic activities for LasR protein in the lasI quorum sensing circuit, while 5-BBF showed agonistic activity for the rhlI quorum sensing circuit. This study suggests that structural variation of brominated furanones can be designed for targeted functions to control biofilm formation.     

Lead identification and optimization of bacterial glutamate racemase inhibitors

Mycobacterium tuberculosis glutamate racemase is an essential enzyme involved in peptidoglycan synthesis and conserved in most bacteria. Small molecule inhibitors were reported on other bacterial species whereas in M. tuberculosis it wasn’t explored much. In this study we have screened in house compound library using fluorescence thermal shift assay and enzyme inhibition assay, form this (1-(3-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(p-tolyl)thiourea) was identified as lead compound with IC₅₀ 19.47?±?0.81?μM. Further lead optimization by synthesis resulted in twenty-three compounds, of which Compound 25?has shown more efficacy compared to lead 1 showing non-competitive mode of inhibition with IC₅₀ 1.32?±?0.43?μM. It also showed significant activity (represented in log reduction) in nutrient starved dormant M. tuberculosis model (2.1), M. tuberculosis biofilm assay (2.0) and in vivo M. marinum infected zebrafish model (3.5).     

Synthesis and evaluation of thiomannosides,potent and orally active FimH inhibitors

FimH is a type I fimbrial lectin located at the tip of type-1 pili of Gram-negative uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) guiding its ability to adhere and infect urothelial cells. Accordingly, blocking FimH with small molecule inhibitor is considered as a promising new therapeutic alternative to treat urinary tract infections caused by UPEC. Herein, we report that compounds having the S-glycosidic bond (thiomannosides) had improved metabolic stability and plasma exposures when dosed orally. Especially compound 5h showed the potential to inhibit biofilm formation and also to disrupt the preformed biofilm. And compound 5h showed prophylactic effect in UTI model in mice.     

Evaluation of single and joint effect of metabolites isolated from marine sponges,Fasciospongia cavernosa and Axinella donnani on antimicrobial properties

The biochemical mechanisms that marine sponges have developed as a chemical defense to protect themselves against micro and subsequent macrobiofouling process might comprise a potential alternative for the preventing attack of biofilm forming bacteria. The present study investigated the antimicrobial activity of a series of major secondary metabolites isolated from the sponges Fasciospongia cavernosa and Axinella donnani against fouling bacteria. Secomanoalide (1), dehydromanoalide (2) and cavernosine (3) have been isolated from F. cavernosa. Their structures were determined by MS, ¹H NMR spectra analyses and by comparison with those reported in the literature. The most promising activity was exhibited by the metabolites from A. donnani, that is, cerebroside (5) against three strains Aeromonas hydrophila subsp. salmonicida A449 and Erythrobacter litoralis. Our investigation revealed that combined metabolites 1, 2 and 3 retained strong activity but individual metabolite had moderate activity indicating that activity probably results from synergistic interactions between multiple compounds. The antibacterial screening of compounds 3, 5 and synergistic effect of 1–3 against fouling bacteria has been studied for the first time. Further, isolation of manoalide related compounds and their synergistic screening can be accelerated for the development of new biofilm inhibitors.     

Evidence for Broad-Spectrum Biofilm Inhibition by the Bacterium Bacillus sp. Strain SW9

We isolated a Bacillus sp. strain that could display broad-spectrum biofilm inhibition. The broad biofilm prevention could be achieved mainly by direct contact between inhibitor and target cells or was accompanied by an interaction with secreted inhibitory compounds. The repression of cell surface fimbria-like appendages of a biofilm producer was also observed; this was considered to contribute to the reduction in mixed biofilms.     

Determination of Spatial Distributions of Zinc and Active Biomass in Microbial Biofilms by Two-Photon Laser Scanning Microscopy

The spatial distributions of zinc, a representative transition metal, and active biomass in bacterial biofilms were determined using two-photon laser scanning microscopy (2P-LSM). Application of 2P-LSM permits analysis of thicker biofilms than are amenable to observation with confocal laser scanning microscopy and also provides selective excitation of a smaller focal volume with greater depth localization. Thin Escherichia coli PHL628 biofilms were grown in a minimal mineral salts medium using pyruvate as the carbon and energy source under batch conditions, and thick biofilms were grown in Luria-Bertani medium using a continuous-flow drip system. The biofilms were visualized by 2P-LSM and shown to have heterogeneous structures with dispersed dense cell clusters, rough surfaces, and void spaces. Contrary to homogeneous biofilm model predictions that active biomass would be located predominantly in the outer regions of the biofilm and inactive or dead biomass (biomass debris) in the inner regions, significant active biomass fractions were observed at all depths in biofilms (up to 350 μm) using live/dead fluorescent stains. The active fractions were dependent on biofilm thickness and are attributed to the heterogeneous characteristics of biofilm structures. A zinc-binding fluorochrome (8-hydroxy-5-dimethylsulfoamidoquinoline) was synthesized and used to visualize the spatial location of added Zn within biofilms. Zn was distributed evenly in a thin (12 μm) biofilm but was located only at the surface of thick biofilms, penetrating less than 20 μm after 1 h of exposure. The relatively slow movement of Zn into deeper biofilm layers provides direct evidence in support of the concept that thick biofilms may confer resistance to toxic metal species by binding metals at the biofilm-bulk liquid interface, thereby retarding metal diffusion into the biofilm (G. M. Teitzel and M. R. Park, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69:2313-2320, 2003).