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N-furfuryl piperazine ureas disclosed by scientists at GSK Tres Cantos were chosen as antimycobacterial hits from a phenotypic whole-cell screen. Bioisosteric replacement of the furan ring in the GSK Tres Cantos molecules with a phenyl ring led to molecule (I) with an MIC of 1 μM against Mtb H37Rv, low cellular toxicity (HepG2 IC 50  ~ 80 μM), good DMPK properties and specificity for Mtb. With the aim of delineating the SAR associated with (I), fifty-five analogs were synthesized and screened against Mtb. The SAR suggests that the piperazine ring, benzyl urea and piperonyl moieties are essential signatures of this series. Active compounds in this series are metabolically stable, have low cellular toxicity and are valuable leads for optimization. Molecular docking suggests these molecules occupy the Q0 site of QcrB like Q203. Bioisosteric replacement of N-furfuryl piperazine-1-carboxamides yielded molecule (I) a novel lead with satisfactory PD, metabolism, and toxicity profiles., (© 2021. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: The treatment of a bacterial infection when the bacterium is growing in a biofilm is a vexed issue. This is because the bacteria in a biofilm behaves differently compared to the individual planktonic free-form. As a result, traditional antibacterial agents lose their activity., Objective: Presently, there are not many drugs that are effective against bacteria growing in biofilms. Based on literature reports, we have sought to develop novel derivatives of 4-hydroxy-2- pyridone as both antimycobacterial and antibiofilm agents., Methods: The pyridone derivatives were synthesized by reacting 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2- one with appropriate amines and followed by reaction with substituted phenyl isocyanates as reported in the literature., Results: Four compounds in this series significantly inhibit the growth and formation of biofilm by Mycobacterium smegmatis (mc2 155 strain) at 50 µg/ml. Further, in silico evaluation of the ADME parameters shows that these compounds possess good drug-like properties and have the potential to be developed both as antibiofilm and as oral antimycobacterial agents., Conclusion: This finding is of significance as presently very few small molecules are known to inhibit biofilm formation in mycobacteria. These compounds are unique in the sense that they are more potent against Mycobacterium smegmatis in the biofilm state compared to the planktonic form., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration on the left-hand side (LHS) of a novel class of bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors led to a significant improvement in the selectivity against hERG cardiac channel binding with concomitant potent antimycobacterial activity. Bulky polar substituents at the C-7 position of the naphthyridone ring did not disturb its positioning between two base pairs of DNA. Further optimization of the polar substituents on the LHS of the naphthyridone ring led to potent antimycobacterial activity (Mtb MIC = 0.06 μM) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Additionally, this knowledge provided a robust SAR understanding to mitigate the hERG risk. This compound class inhibits Mtb DNA gyrase and retains its antimycobacterial activity against moxifloxacin-resistant strains of Mtb. Finally, we demonstrate in vivo proof of concept in an acute mouse model of TB following oral administration of compound 19.

The widespread emergence of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) strains resistant to frontline agents has fuelled the search for fast-acting agents with novel mechanism of action. Here, we report the discovery and optimization of novel antimalarial compounds, the triaminopyrimidines (TAPs), which emerged from a phenotypic screen against the blood stages of Pf. The clinical candidate (compound 12) is efficacious in a mouse model of Pf malaria with an ED99 <30 mg kg(-1) and displays good in vivo safety margins in guinea pigs and rats. With a predicted half-life of 36 h in humans, a single dose of 260 mg might be sufficient to maintain therapeutic blood concentration for 4-5 days. Whole-genome sequencing of resistant mutants implicates the vacuolar ATP synthase as a genetic determinant of resistance to TAPs. Our studies highlight the potential of TAPs for single-dose treatment of Pf malaria in combination with other agents in clinical development.

DNA gyrase is a clinically validated target for developing drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Despite the promise of fluoroquinolones (FQs) as anti-tuberculosis drugs, the prevalence of pre-existing resistance to FQs is likely to restrict their clinical value. We describe a novel class of N-linked aminopiperidinyl alkyl quinolones and naphthyridones that kills Mtb by inhibiting the DNA gyrase activity. The mechanism of inhibition of DNA gyrase was distinct from the fluoroquinolones, as shown by their ability to inhibit the growth of fluoroquinolone-resistant Mtb. Biochemical studies demonstrated this class to exert its action via single-strand cleavage rather than double-strand cleavage, as seen with fluoroquinolones. The compounds are highly bactericidal against extracellular as well as intracellular Mtb. Lead optimization resulted in the identification of potent compounds with improved oral bioavailability and reduced cardiac ion channel liability. Compounds from this series are efficacious in various murine models of tuberculosis.

Moxifloxacin has shown excellent activity against drug-sensitive as well as drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), thus confirming DNA gyrase as a clinically validated target for discovering novel anti-TB agents. We have identified novel inhibitors in the pyrrolamide class which kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis through inhibition of ATPase activity catalyzed by the GyrB domain of DNA gyrase. A homology model of the M. tuberculosis H37Rv GyrB domain was used for deciphering the structure-activity relationship and binding interactions of inhibitors with mycobacterial GyrB enzyme. Proposed binding interactions were later confirmed through cocrystal structure studies with the Mycobacterium smegmatis GyrB ATPase domain. The most potent compound in this series inhibited supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of <5 nM, an MIC of 0.03 μg/ml against M. tuberculosis H37Rv, and an MIC90 of <0.25 μg/ml against 99 drug-resistant clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis. The frequency of isolating spontaneous resistant mutants was ∼10(-6) to 10(-8), and the point mutation mapped to the M. tuberculosis GyrB domain (Ser208 Ala), thus confirming its mode of action. The best compound tested for in vivo efficacy in the mouse model showed a 1.1-log reduction in lung CFU in the acute model and a 0.7-log reduction in the chronic model. This class of GyrB inhibitors could be developed as novel anti-TB agents.