N-Acylated Derivatives of Sulfamethoxazole Block Chlamydia Fatty Acid Synthesis and Interact with FabF.

The type II fatty acid synthesis (FASII) pathway is essential for bacterial lipid biosynthesis and continues to be a promising target for novel antibacterial compounds. Recently, it has been demonstrated that Chlamydia is capable of FASII and this pathway is indispensable for Chlamydia growth. Previously, a high-content screen with Chlamydia trachomatis-infected cells was performed, and acylated sulfonamides were identified to be potent growth inhibitors of the bacteria. C. trachomatis strains resistant to acylated sulfonamides were isolated by serial passage of a wild-type strain in the presence of low compound concentrations. Results from whole-genome sequencing of 10 isolates from two independent drug-resistant populations revealed that mutations that accumulated in fabF were predominant. Studies of the interaction between the FabF protein and small molecules showed that acylated sulfonamides directly bind to recombinant FabF in vitro and treatment of C. trachomatis-infected HeLa cells with the compounds leads to a decrease in the synthesis of Chlamydia fatty acids. This work demonstrates the importance of FASII for Chlamydia development and may lead to the development of new antimicrobials.

N-aryl 2-aryloxyacetamides as a new class of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitors.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a promising target for the development of drugs to treat neurological diseases. In search of new FAAH inhibitors, we identified 2-(4-cyclohexylphenoxy)-N-(3-(oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl)acetamide, 4g, with an IC50 of 2.6 µM as a chemical starting point for the development of potent FAAH inhibitors. Preliminary hit-to-lead optimisation resulted in 2-(4-phenylphenoxy)-N-(3-(oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl)acetamide, 4i, with an IC50 of 0.35 µM.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel polypharmacological antichlamydial agents.

Discovery of new polypharmacological antibacterial agents with multiple modes of actions can be an alternative to combination therapy and also a possibility to slow development of antibiotic resistance. In support to this hypothesis, we synthesized 16 compounds by combining the pharmacophores of Chlamydia trachomatis inhibitors and inhibitors of type III secretion (T3S) in gram-negative bacteria. In this study we have developed salicylidene acylhydrazide sulfonamides (11c &11d) as new antichlamydial agents that also inhibit T3S in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of novel 8-fluoro Norfloxacin derivatives as potential probes for methicillin and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

A series of novel 8-fluoro Norfloxacin derivatives and the hybrids of its piperazinyl derivatives incorporated with 1,3,5-triazine and pyrimidine were synthesized. All the above compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin & vancomycin-resistant S. aureus. Among all, compounds having Morpholine, N-methyl/phenyl/benzyl/pyrimidinyl piperazines and n-butylamine substitution at C-7 position, have shown increased potency in comparison to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin.

Discovery of new 1,3,5-triazine scaffolds with potent activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.

A series of eighty one 2,4,6-trisubstituted-1,3,5-triazines were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for the growth inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Fifteen compounds from this series exhibited good to moderate activity with an MIC in the range 1.56-3.12 microg/mL and most of them were found to be nontoxic against VERO cells and MBMDMQs (mouse bone marrow derived macrophages). This is for the first time that 2,4,6-trisubstituted-1,3,5-triazines were identified as a potent inhibitors of M. tuberculosis H37Rv.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new [1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3-ylthio-1,3,5-triazines and [1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3-ylthio-pyrimidines against Leishmania donovani.

A series of [1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3-ylthio-1,3,5-triazines and [1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3-ylthio-pyrimidines were synthesized and screened for their in vitro antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani. Among all, 8 compounds have shown more than 90% inhibition against promastigotes and IC50 in the range of 4.01-57.78 microM against amastigotes. Compound 5, a triazino[5,6-b]indol-3-ylthio-1,3,5-triazine derivative was found to be the most active and least toxic with 20- & 10-fold more selectivity (S.I.=56.61) as compared to that of standard drugs pentamidine and sodium stibogluconate (SSG), respectively.

Recent advances in the design and synthesis of heterocycles as anti-tubercular agents.

Due to the unusual structure and chemical composition of the mycobacterial cell wall, effective tuberculosis (TB) treatment is difficult, making many antibiotics ineffective and hindering the entry of drugs. With approximately 33% of infection, TB is still the second most deadly infectious disease worldwide. The reasons for this are drug-resistant TB (multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant), persistent infection (latent TB) and synergism of TB with HIV; furthermore no new chemical entity has emerged in last 40 years. New data available from the recently sequenced genome of the mycobacterium and the application of methods of modern drug design promise much for the fight against this disease. In this review, we present an introduction to TB, followed by an overview of new heterocyclic anti-tubercular moieties published during the last decade.

Synthesis of oxalamide and triazine derivatives as a novel class of hybrid 4-aminoquinoline with potent antiplasmodial activity.

Frequency of malaria and its resistance to chemotherapeutic options are emerging rapidly. To counter this problem, a series of 4-aminoquinolines having oxalamide and triazine functionalities in the side chain were synthesized and screened for their antimalarial activities. Triazine derivative 48 found to be the most active against CQ sensitive strain 3D7 of Plasmodium falciparum in an in vitro assay with an IC(50) of 5.23 ng/mL and oxalamide derivative 13 showed an in vivo suppression of 70.45% on day 4 against CQ resistant strain N-67 of Plasmodium yoelii.

Synthesis of novel thiourea, thiazolidinedione and thioparabanic acid derivatives of 4-aminoquinoline as potent antimalarials.

In search of new 4-aminoquinolines which are not recognized by CQR mechanism, thiourea, thiazolidinedione and thioparabanic acid derivatives of 4-aminoquinoline were synthesized and screened for their antimalarial activities. Thiourea derivative 3 found to be the most active against CQ sensitive strain 3D7 of Plasmodium falciparum in an in vitro model with an IC(50) of 6.07ng/mL and also showed an in vivo suppression of 99.27% on day 4 against CQ resistant strain N-67 of Plasmodium yoelii.

Synthesis and antileishmanial activity of novel 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyrimidines and 1,3,5-triazines.

A series of 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyrimidines and 1,3,5-triazines have been synthesized and screened for their in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani. Among all, 14 compounds have shown promising inhibition of 80-100% at 10 microg/ml against promastigotes and IC(50) in the range of 0.89-9.68 microg/ml against amastigotes. Three compounds 13, 32 and 33 with good selectivity index (S.I.) were screened for their in vivo activity in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) infected with MHOM/IN/80/Dd(8) strain of L. donovani and have shown moderate in vivo inhibition of 48-56% at a dose of 50 mg/kg x 5, i.p. route for 5 days.

Synthesis of 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyrimidine and triazine heterocycles as antileishmanial agents.

A series of 2,4,6 trisubstituted pyrimidines and triazines have been synthesized and screened for its in vitro antileishmanial activity profile in promastigote model. Nine compounds have shown > 94% inhibition against promastigotes at a concentration of 10 microg/mL.