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In this work, we have synthesized twenty five new 2-(5-(5-nitrofuran-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-one derivatives bearing an aryl or heteroaryl methylene group on position 5 of thiazolidinone and evaluated their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria as well as three metronidazole resistant Helicobacter pylori strains. Most of the compounds were very potent towards tested Gram-positive bacteria and showed an antibacterial efficacy substantially greater than ampicillin as the reference drug. However, no effectiveness was observed for the Gram-negative microorganisms. The compounds 9, 20 and 29 exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori strains (inhibition zone > 30 mm) in 100 μg/disc and (inhibition zone > 20 mm) in 50 μg/disc. Taking these findings together, it seems that these potent antibacterial derivatives could be considered as promising agents for developing new anti-infectious drugs against microorganisms resistant to currently available antibiotics. Graphical Abstract

In the pursuit of novel antibacterial agents with the 2-thiazolylimino-4-thiazolidinone as a core structure, a series of 5-nitro-heteroarylidene and 5-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene) analogs of 2-thiazolylimino-5-arylidene-4-thiazolidinone were synthesized and their antibacterial activities were evaluated against some strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as Helicobacter pylori strains. Biological data indicated that 5-nitrofuran analog 5a and 5-nitroimidazole analog 7a containing no substitutions on the thiazole ring were the most potent compounds.

Despite the rich literature on GERD, its cause and reason for increased prevalence remain obscure. Currently accepted mechanisms leave many questions unanswered. Nitrite chemistry at the GEJ is well described for carcinogenesis. Recent epidemiological and animal data have linked nitrates to GERD. “Nitrate reductase” of oral bacteria converts nitrates to nitrites. We hypothesized that nitrate reductase activity is higher in patients with erosive GERD, delivering more nitrite at the gastroesophageal-junction for a given nitrate intake. To compare oral nitrate reductase activity of erosive GERD patients with controls. Patients with erosive GERD and controls without GERD were enrolled. After overnight fasting, nitrite of oral cavity contents was measured at 1-min intervals for 3 min while incubating a 10-mg nitrate-N/L solution in the mouth. Nitrate reductase activity was calculated and compared between groups. Eleven cases (ten males, mean age: 42.6 ± 11.7 year) and ten controls (eight males, mean age: 37.6 ± 9.2 year) were enrolled. Mean nitrate reductase activity was 3.23 ± 0.99 vs. 2.30 ± 0.83 “μg nitrite-N formed/person/minute” in cases and controls, respectively (p = 0.03). Oral nitrate reductase activity in erosive GERD patients is higher than controls. Therefore, any dietary nitrate load generates more nitrite in these patients. This excess nitrite at the gastroesophageal junction, may potentially contribute to the development of GERD. This is the first report linking oral nitrite production to erosive GERD in man. We suggest that a “nitrate hypothesis” may answer yet unanswered questions about GERD pathogenesis. If confirmed, it may change our understanding of mechanisms of GERD and provide novel therapeutic targets.