Inhibition of bacterial thioredoxin reductase: an antibiotic mechanism targeting bacteria lacking glutathione.

Increasing antibiotic resistance makes the identification of new antibacterial principles an urgent task. The thioredoxin system including thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), thioredoxin (Trx), and NADPH plays critical roles in cellular DNA synthesis and defense against oxidative stress. Notably, TrxR is very different in structure and mechanism in mammals and bacteria. Ebselen [2-phenyl-1,2 benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one], a well-known antioxidant and a substrate for mammalian TrxR and Trx, is rapidly bacteriocidal for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by an unknown mechanism. We have discovered that ebselen is a competitive inhibitor of Escherichia coli TrxR with a Ki of 0.52 ± 0.13 µM, through reaction with the active site dithiol of the enzyme. Bacteria lacking glutathione (GSH) and glutaredoxin, in which TrxR and Trx are essential for DNA synthesis, were particularly sensitive to ebselen. In growth-inhibited E. coli strains, Trx1 and Trx2 were oxidized, demonstrating that electron transfer via thioredoxin was blocked. Ebselen and its sulfur analog ebsulfur were bactericidal for GSH-negative pathogens. Ebsulfur inhibited a clinically isolated Helicobacter pylori strain with a minimum inhibitory concentration value as low as 0.39 µg/ml. These results demonstrate that bacterial Trx and TrxR are viable antibacterial drug targets using benzisoselenazol and benzisothiazol derivates.

Synthesis, structure, and catalytic properties of V(IV), Mn(III), Mo(VI), and U(VI) complexes containing bidentate (N, O) oxazine and oxazoline ligands.

Synthesis of seven complexes containing oxazoline ([(L(1))(2)V=O] (4), [(L(1))(2)MoO(2)] (5), [(L(1))(2)UO(2)] (6); HL(1) (1) [HL(1) = 2-(4',4'-dimethyl-3'-4'-dihydroxazol-2'-yl)phenol]), chiral oxazoline ([(L(2))(2)UO(2)] (7); HL(2) (2) [HL(2) = (4'R)-2-(4'-ethyl-3'4'-dihyroxazol-2'-yl)phenol]), and oxazine ([(L(3))(2)V=O] (8), [(L(3))(2)Mn(CH(3)COO(-))] (9), [(L(3))(2)Co] (10); HL(3) (3) [HL(3) = 2-(5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-oxazolinyl)phenol]) and their characterization by various techniques such as UV-vis, IR, and EPR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry, and elemental analysis are reported. The novel oxazine (3) and complexes 4, 5, 8 and 9 were also characterized by X-ray crystallography. Oxazine 3 crystallizes in the monoclinic system with the P2(1)/n space group, complexes 4 and 9 crystallize in the monoclinic system with the P2(1)/c space group, and complexes 5 and 8 crystallize in the orthorhombic system with the C222(1) space group and the P2(1)2(1)2(1) chiral space group, respectively. The representative synthetic procedure involves the reaction of metal acetate or acetylacetonate derivatives with corresponding ligand in ethanol. Addition of Mn(OAc)(2).4H(2)O to an ethanol solution of 3 gave the unexpected complex Mn(L(3))(2).(CH(3)COO(-)) (9) where the acetate group is coordinated with the metal center in a bidentate fashion. The catalytic activity of complexes 4-9 for oxidation of styrene with tert-butyl hydroperoxide was tested. In all cases, benzaldehyde formed exclusively as the oxidation product.