Inhibitors of bacterial N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE) and demonstration of in vitro antimicrobial activity

The dapE-encoded N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE) is a critical bacterial enzyme for the construction of the bacterial cell wall. A screen biased toward compounds containing zinc-binding groups (ZBG’s) including thiols, carboxylic acids, boronic acids, phosphonates and hydroxamates has delivered a number of micromolar inhibitors of DapE from Haemophilus influenzae, including the low micromolar inhibitor l-captopril (IC₅₀ = 3.3 μM, K_i = 1.8 μM). In vitro antimicrobial activity was demonstrated for l-captopril against Escherichia coli.