New class of methyl tetrazole based hybrid of (Z)-5-benzylidene-2-(piperazin-1-yl)thiazol-4(%H)-one as potent antitubercular agents

In search of potential therapeutics for tuberculosis, we describe here the synthesis and in vitro antitubercular activity of a novel series of thiazolone piperazine tetrazole derivatives. Among all the synthesized derivatives, four compounds (10, 14, 20 and 33) exhibited more potent activity (MIC = 3.08, 3.01, 2.62 and 2.51 μM) than ethambutol (MIC = 9.78 μM) and pyrazinamide (MIC = 101.53 μM) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Furthermore, they displayed no toxicity against Vero cells (C1008) and mouse bone marrow derived macrophages (MBMDMϕ). These investigated analogues have emerged as possible lead molecule to enlarge the scope of the study.     

Antitubercular activity of quinolizidinyl/pyrrolizidinylalkyliminophenazines

Novel riminophenazine derivatives, characterized by the presence of the basic and cumbersome quinolizidinylalkyl and pyrrolizidinylethyl moieties, have been synthesized and tested (Rema test) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇R_v and H₃₇R_a, and six clinical isolates of Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Most compounds exhibited potent activity against the tested strains, resulting more active than clofazimine, isoniazid and ethambutol.The best compounds (4, 5, 12 and 13) exhibited a MIC in the range 0.82–0.86 μM against all strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and, with the exception of 4 a MIC around 3.3 μM versus M. avium. The corresponding values for clofazimine (CFM) were 1.06 and 4.23 μM, respectively. Cytotoxicity was evaluated against three cell lines and compound 4 displayed a selectivity index (SI) versus the human cell line MT-4 comparable with that of CFM (SI = 5.23 vs 6.4). Toxicity against mammalian Vero 76 cell line was quite lower with SI = 79.     

In vitro antitubercular and antimicrobial activities of 1-substituted quinoxaline-2,3(1H,4H)-diones

1-((Substituted)methyl)quinoxaline-2,3(1H,4H)-dione (2a–e) and 1-((substituted)acryloyl)quinoxaline-2,3(1H,4H)-dione (4a–c) were synthesized from quinoxaline-2,3(1H,4H)-dione 1 and evaluated for their antimicrobial activities. Results of the antitubercular screening against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv showed that the compounds 2b, 3, and 4a were the most effective, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 8.012, 8.561, and 8.928 μg/ml, respectively. All the compounds exhibited significant antibacterial and considerable antifungal activities.     

Synthesis and antimycobacterial evaluation of N-substituted 5-chloropyrazine-2-carboxamides

To develop new potential antimycobacterial drugs, a series of pyrazinamide derivatives was designed, synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of selected mycobacterial strains (Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium kansasii and two strains of Mycobacterium avium). This Letter is focused on binuclear pyrazinamide analogues containing the –CONH–CH₂– bridge, namely on N-benzyl-5-chloropyrazine-2-carboxamides with various substituents on the phenyl ring and their comparison with some analogously substituted 5-chloro-N-phenylpyrazine-2-carboxamides. Compounds from the N-benzyl series exerted lower antimycobacterial activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv then corresponding anilides, however comparable with pyrazinamide (12.5–25 μg/mL). Remarkably, 5-chloro-N-(4-methylbenzyl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (8, MIC = 3.13 μg/mL) and 5-chloro-N-(2-chlorobenzyl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (1, MIC = 6.25 μg/mL) were active against M. kansasii, which is naturally unsusceptible to PZA. Basic structure–activity relationships are presented.     

Synthesis and PGE2 production inhibition of 1H-furan-2,5-dione and 1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione derivatives

3,4-Diphenyl-substituted 1H-furan-2,5-dione and 1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for the inhibitory activities on LPS-induced PGE₂ production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Both 1H-furan-2,5-dione and 1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione rings as main scaffolds were easily obtained using one of three synthetic methods. Among the compounds investigated, 1H-3-(4-sulfamoylphenyl)-4-phenyl-pyrrole-2,5-dione (6l) showed a strong inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.61 μM) of PGE₂ production.     

Investigation of C-5 alkynyl (alkynyloxy or hydroxymethyl) and/or N-3 propynyl substituted pyrimidine nucleoside analogs as a new class of antimicrobial agents

The resurgence of mycobacterial infections and the emergence of drug-resistant strains urgently require a new class of agents that are distinct than current therapies. A group of 5-ethynyl (6–10), 5-(2-propynyloxy) (16, 18, 20, 22, 24), 5-(2-propynyloxy)-3-N-(2-propynyl) (17, 19, 21, 23, 25) and 5-hydroxymethyl-3-N-(2-propynyl) (30–33) derivatives of pyrimidine nucleosides were synthesized and evaluated against mycobacteria [Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) and Mycobacterium avium], gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) alone and in combination with existing drugs in in vitro assays. Although several compounds exhibited marked inhibitory activity at a higher concentration against Mtb, M. bovis, S. aureus and E. faecalis, they displayed unexpected synergistic and additive interactions at their lower concentrations with antitubercular drugs isoniazid and rifampicin, and antibacterial drug gentamicin. The active analogues were also found to inhibit intracellular Mtb in a human monocytic cell line infected with H37Ra. Oral administration of 5-hydroxymethyl-3-N-(2-propynyl)-3′-azido-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine (32) and 5-hydroxymethyl-3-N-(2-propynyl)-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine (33) at a dose of 100 mg/kg for two weeks showed promising in vivo effects in mice infected with Mtb (H37Ra). No in vitro cytotoxicity of the test compounds was observed up to the highest concentration tested (CC50 > 300 μg/mL).     

Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of pharmacological properties of some piperazine derivatives of xanthone

A series of 9 piperazine derivatives of xanthone were synthesized and evaluated for cardiovascular activity. The following pharmacological experiments were conducted: the binding affinity for adrenoceptors, the influence on the normal electrocardiogram, the effect on the arterial blood pressure and prophylactic antiarrhythmic activity in adrenaline induced model of arrhythmia (rats, iv). Three compounds revealed nanomolar affinity for α₁-adrenoceptor which was correlated with the strongest cardiovascular (antiarrhythmic and hypotensive) activity in animals’ models. The most promising compound was 4-(3-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine-1-yl)propoxy)-9H-xanthen-9-one hydrochloride (12) which revealed antiarrhythmic activity with ED₅₀ value of 0.69 mg/kg in adrenaline induced arrhythmia (rats, iv). Other synthesized xanthone derivatives, that is, (R,S)-4-(2-hydroxy-3-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine-1-yl)propoxy)-9H-xanthen-9-one hydrochloride (10) and (R,S)-4-(2-acetoxy-3-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine-1-yl)propoxy)-9H-xanthen-9-one hydrochloride (11) also acted as potential antiarrhythmics in adrenaline induced model of arrhythmia in rats after intravenous injection (ED₅₀ = 0.88 mg/kg and 0.89 mg/kg, respectively). These values were lower than values obtained for reference drugs such as propranolol and urapidil, but not carvedilol.Results were quite promising and suggested that in the group of xanthone derivatives new potential antiarrhythmics and hypotensives might be found.     

A facile three-component [3+2]-cycloaddition for the regioselective synthesis of highly functionalised dispiropyrrolidines acting as antimycobacterial agents

A series of fourteen dispiropyrrolidines were synthesized using [3+2]-cycloaddition reactions and were screened for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv in HTS (High Throughput Screen). Most of the compounds showed moderate to good activity with MIC of less than 20 μM. Compound 4′-(4-bromophenyl)-1′-methyldispiro[acenaphthylene-1,2′-pyrrolidine-3′,2″-indane]-2,1″(1H)-dione (4c) was found to be the most active with MIC of 12.50 μM.     

Synthesis and evaluation of pharmacological properties of some new xanthone derivatives with piperazine moiety

A series of new xanthone derivatives with piperazine moiety [1–7] was synthesized and evaluated for their pharmacological properties. They were subject to binding assays for α₁ and β₁ adrenergic as well as 5-HT_1A, 5-HT₆ and 5-HT_7b serotoninergic receptors. Five of the tested compounds were also evaluated for their anticonvulsant properties. The compound 3a 3-methoxy-5-{[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl}-9H-xanthen-9-one hydrochloride exhibited significantly higher affinity for serotoninergic 5-HT_1A receptors (K_i = 24 nM) than other substances. In terms of anticonvulsant activity, 6-methoxy-2-{[4-(benzyl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl}-9H-xanthen-9-one (5) proved best properties. Its ED₅₀ determined in maximal electroshock (MES) seizure assay was 105 mg/kg b.w. (rats, p.o.). Combining of xanthone with piperazine moiety resulted in obtaining of compounds with increased bioavailability after oral administration.     

Synthesis,cholinesterase inhibition and molecular modelling studies of coumarin linked thiourea derivatives

Alzheimer’s disease is among the most widespread neurodegenerative disorder. Cholinesterases (ChEs) play an indispensable role in the control of cholinergic transmission and thus the acetylcholine level in the brain is enhanced by inhibition of ChEs. Coumarin linked thiourea derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated biologically in order to determine their inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterases (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterases (BChE). The synthesized derivatives of coumarin linked thiourea compounds showed potential inhibitory activity against AChE and BChE. Among all the synthesized compounds, 1-(2-Oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbonyl)-3-(3-chlorophenyl)thiourea (2e) was the most potent inhibitor against AChE with an IC₅₀ value of 0.04 ± 0.01 μM, while 1-(2-Oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbonyl)-3-(2-methoxyphenyl)thiourea (2b) showed the most potent inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 0.06 ± 0.02 μM against BChE. Molecular docking simulations were performed using the homology models of both cholinesterases in order to explore the probable binding modes of inhibitors. Results showed that the novel synthesized coumarin linked thiourea derivatives are potential candidates to develop for potent and efficacious acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitors.     

Scaffold-switching: An exploration of 5,6-fused bicyclic heteroaromatics systems to afford antituberculosis activity akin to the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-carboxylates

A set of 5,6-fused bicyclic heteroaromatic scaffolds were investigated for their in vitro anti-tubercular activity versus replicating and non-replicating strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in an attempt to find an alternative scaffold to the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines that were previously shown to have potent activity against replicating and drug resistant Mtb. The five new bicyclic heteroaromatic scaffolds explored in this study include a 2,6-dimethylimidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine-3-carboxamide (7), a 2,6-dimethyl-1H-indole-3-carboxamide (8), a 6-methyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (9), a 7-methyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine-3-carboxamide (10), and a 5,7-dimethyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-2-carboxamide (11). Additionally, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines isomers (2 and 12) and a homologous imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine isomer (6) were prepared and compared. Compounds 2 and 6 were found to be the most potent against H₃₇Rv Mtb (MIC’s of 0.1 μM and 1.3 μM) and were inactive (MIC >128 μM) against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Against other non-tubercular mycobacteria strains, compounds 2 and 6 had activity against Mycobacterium avium (16 and 122 μM, respectively), Mycobacterium kansasii (4 and 19 μM, respectively), Mycobacterium bovis BCG (1 and 8 μM, respectively) while all the other scaffolds were inactive (>128 μM).     

Synthesis and aromatase inhibitory activity of some new 16E-arylidenosteroids

A new series of 16E-arylidene androstene derivatives has been synthesized and evaluated for aromatase inhibitory activity. The impact of various aryl substituents at 16 position of the steroid skeleton on aromatase inhibitory activity has been observed. The 16E-arylidenosteroids 6, 10 and 11 exhibited significant inhibition of the aromatase enzyme. 16-(4-Pyridylmethylene)-4-androstene-3,17-dione (6, IC₅₀: 5.2 μM) and 16-(benzo-[1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethylene)androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (11, IC₅₀: 6.4 μM) were found to be approximately five times more potent in comparison to aminoglutethimide.     

Studies on substituted benzo[h]quinazolines,benzo[g]indazoles,pyrazoles, 2,6-diarylpyridines as anti-tubercular agents

Various substituted 5,6-dihydro-8-methoxybenzo[h]quinazolin-2-amine, 1-(3-(4-alkoxyphenyl)-7-methoxy-3,3a,4,5-tetrahydro-2H benzo[g]indazol-2-yl)ethanone, pyrazole and 2,6-diarylpyridine derivatives have been synthesized in good yields by an efficient methodology. The synthesized compounds (4–23) were evaluated for their in vitro anti-tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain. Compounds 6a, 6c, 8a, 19a and 19e exhibited significant anti-tubercular activity at MIC values 50, 100, 50, 25 and 100 μM concentration. In vitro cytotoxicity data using THP-1 cells indicated that most active compound 19a is safe as its MIC value is much lower than the cytotoxic value.     

Discovery of novel inhibitors targeting the Mycobacterium tuberculosis O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (CysK1) using virtual high-throughput screening

Cysteine biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is crucial for this pathogen to combat oxidative stress and for long term survival in the host. Hence inhibition of this pathway is attractive for developing novel drugs against tuberculosis. In the present study, the crystal structure of the mycobacterial enzyme O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase CysK1 bound to an oligopeptide inhibitor was used as a framework for virtual screening of the BITS-Pilani in-house database to identify new scaffolds as CysK1 inhibitors. Thirty compounds were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their ability to inhibit CysK1, activity against M. tuberculosis and cytotoxicity as steps towards the derivation of structure–activity relationships (SAR) and lead optimization. Compound 8-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-4,4a-dihydro-2H-pyrimido[5,4-e]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-2,5(3H)-dione (4n) emerged as the most promising lead with an IC₅₀ of 17.7 μM for purified CysK1 and MIC of 7.6 μM for M. tuberculosis, with little or no cytotoxicity (>50 μM).     

Kappa-opioid receptor-selective dicarboxylic ester-derived salvinorin A ligands

Salvinorin A, the active ingredient of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum is the most potent known naturally occurring hallucinogen and is a selective κ-opioid receptor agonist. To better understand the ligand–receptor interactions, a series of dicarboxylic ester-type of salvinorin A derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their binding affinity at κ-, δ- and μ-opioid receptors. Most of the analogues show high affinity to the κ-opioid receptor. Methyl malonyl derivative 4 shows the highest binding affinity (K_i = 2 nM), analogues 5, 7, and 14 exhibit significant affinity for the κ-receptor (K_i = 21, 36 and 39 nM).     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of polyhalo isophthalonitrile derivatives

A series of polyhalo isophthalonitrile derivatives (3 and 4) that incorporate a variety of substituents at the 2-, 4-, 5- and/or 6-positions of the isophthalonitrile moieties have been designed and synthesized. These derivatives were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus (Gram-positive bacteria), Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative bacteria); and Candida albicans (Fungi). Compounds 3 and 4 showed stronger inhibition of Gram-positive bacteria and fungi growth, and the antimicrobial ability of compound 3j (a 4-(benzylamino)-5-chloro-2,6-difluoro analog, MIC[SA] = 0.5 μg/mL; MIC[BC] = 0.4 μg/mL; MIC[CA] = 0.5 μg/mL) were close to nofloxacin and fluconazole and identified as the most potent antimicrobial agents in the series. The preliminary analysis of structure–activity relationships is also discussed.     

Synthesis and in vitro anti Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of a series of phthalimide derivatives

New phthalimide derivatives were easily prepared through condensation of phthalic anhydride and selected amines with variable yields (70–90%). All compounds (3a–l) were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv using Alamar Blue susceptibility. The compounds 3c, 3i, and 3l have the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 3.9, 7.8, and 5.0 μg/mL, respectively, and could be considered new lead compounds in the treatment of tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.     

Design,synthesis and evaluation of 6-(4-((substituted-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)phenanthridine analogues as antimycobacterial agents

Focus in this Letter is made to design and synthesize a series of nineteen new 6-(4-((substituted-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)phenanthridine analogues employing click chemistry and evaluated for their anti-tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. Among the tested compounds, 7f and 7j exhibited good activity (MIC = 3.125 μg/mL), while 8a displayed excellent activity (MIC = 1.56 μg/mL) against the growth of M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. In addition, 7f, 7j and 8a compounds were subjected to cytotoxic studies against mouse macrophage (RAW264.7) cell lines and the selectivity index values are >15 indicating suitability of compounds for further drug development.     

Discovery of potent anti-tuberculosis agents targeting leucyl-tRNA synthetase

Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease caused by human pathogen bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bacterial drug resistance is a very significant medical problem nowadays and development of novel antibiotics with different mechanisms of action is an important goal of modern medical science. Leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS) has been recently clinically validated as antimicrobial target. Here we report the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of M. tuberculosis LeuRS. Using receptor-based virtual screening we have identified six inhibitors of M. tuberculosis LeuRS from two different chemical classes. The most active compound 4-{[4-(4-Bromo-phenyl)-thiazol-2-yl]hydrazonomethyl}-2-methoxy-6-nitro-phenol (1) inhibits LeuRS with IC₅₀ of 6 μM. A series of derivatives has been synthesized and evaluated in vitro toward M. tuberculosis LeuRS. It was revealed that the most active compound 2,6-Dibromo-4-{[4-(4-nitro-phenyl)-thiazol-2-yl]-hydrazonomethyl}-phenol inhibits LeuRS with IC₅₀ of 2.27 μM. All active compounds were tested for antimicrobial effect against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The compound 1 seems to have the best cell permeability and inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria with IC₅₀ = 10.01 μM and IC₉₀ = 13.53 μM.     

Anti-tubercular activities of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-amine analogues endowed with high activity toward non-replicative Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Thirty three derivatives of 2-substituted 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-amine analogues were synthesized by molecular modification of a reported antimycobacterial molecule (GSK163574A). Compounds were evaluated in vitro against actively replicative and nutrient starved non-replicative Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), enzymatic screening and cytotoxicity against RAW 264.7 cell line. Among the compounds, 2-ethyl-N-phenethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-amine (5c) was found to be the most active compound against non-replicative MTB with 2.7 log reduction of bacteria at 10 μg/mL and was more potent than isoniazid (1.2 log reduction) and rifampicin (2.0 log reduction) at same dose level. Compound 5c also showed activity against MTB alanine dehydrogenase enzyme with IC₅₀ of 1.82 ± 0.42 μM and showed 25% cytotoxicity against RAW 264.7 cell line at 50 μg/mL.