Modified Fluoroquinolones as Antimicrobial Compounds Targeting Chlamydia trachomatis.

Chlamydia trachomatis causes the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection and trachoma, an eye infection. Untreated infections can lead to sequelae, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy in women and blindness. We previously enhanced the antichlamydial activity of the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin by grafting a metal chelating moiety onto it. In the present study, we pursued this pharmacomodulation and obtained nanomolar active molecules (EC50) against this pathogen. This gain in activity prompted us to evaluate the antibacterial activity of this family of molecules against other pathogenic bacteria, such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and bacteria from the ESKAPE group. The results show that the novel molecules have selectively improved activity against C. trachomatis and demonstrate how the antichlamydial effect of fluoroquinolones can be enhanced.

Lipophilic quinolone derivatives: Synthesis and in vitro antibacterial evaluation.

This paper reports on the design of a series of 10 novel lipophilic piperazinyl derivatives of the 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-8-methoxy-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, their synthesis, their characterisation by 1H, 13C and 19F NMR, IR spectroscopy and HRMS, as well as their biological activity against bacteria of medical interest. Among these derivatives, 2 were as potent as the parent quinolone against Neisseriagonorrhoeae whereas all the compounds displayed lower activity than the parent quinolone against other bacteria of medical interest. Our results showing that the increased lipophilicity was deleterious for antibacterial activity may help to design new quinolone derivatives in the future, especially lipophilic quinolones which have been poorly investigated previously.

Versatile transduction scheme based on electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistor used as immunoassay readout system.

We report on an innovative heterogeneous bisphenol A (BPA) immunoassay based on an electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistor whose organic semiconductor is poly(2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) co-crystallized with an alkyl derivative of bisphenol A. A decrease of the transistor output current is first observed upon antibody specific binding onto the organic semiconductor. Upon bisphenol A addition, the competitive dissociation of the antibody from the semiconductor surface leads to an opposite increase of the output current. We present here a proof-of-concept for bisphenol A detection; the device could be readily adapted to other small organic molecules of interest and is a promising tool for simple, low-cost, portable and easy-to-use biosensors.

Comparison of Electrochemical Immunosensors and Aptasensors for Detection of Small Organic Molecules in Environment, Food Safety, Clinical and Public Security.

We review here the most frequently reported targets among the electrochemical immunosensors and aptasensors: antibiotics, bisphenol A, cocaine, ochratoxin A and estradiol. In each case, the immobilization procedures are described as well as the transduction schemes and the limits of detection. It is shown that limits of detections are generally two to three orders of magnitude lower for immunosensors than for aptasensors, due to the highest affinities of antibodies. No significant progresses have been made to improve these affinities, but transduction schemes were improved instead, which lead to a regular improvement of the limit of detections corresponding to ca. five orders of magnitude over these last 10 years. These progresses depend on the target, however.

Synthesis of gatifloxacin derivatives and their biological activities against Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Novel 3'-piperazinyl derivatives of the 8-hydrogeno and 8-methoxy-6-fluoro-1-cyclopropyl-4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid scaffolds were designed, synthesized and characterized by (1)H, (13)C and (19)F NMR, and HRMS. The activity of these derivatives against pathogenic mycobacteria (M. leprae and M. tuberculosis), wild-type (WT) strains or strains harboring mutations implicated in quinolone resistance, were determined by measuring drug concentrations inhibiting cell growth (MIC) and/or DNA supercoiling by DNA gyrase (IC(50)), or inducing 25% DNA cleavage by DNA gyrase (CC(25)). Compound 4 (with a methoxy in R(8) and a secondary carbamate in R(3)') and compound 5 (with a hydrogen in R(8) and an ethyl ester in R(3)') displayed biological activities close to those of ofloxacin but inferior to those of gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin against M. tuberculosis and M. leprae WT DNA gyrases, whereas all of the compounds were less active in inhibiting M. tuberculosis growth and M. leprae mutant DNA gyrases. Since R(3)' substitutions have been poorly investigated previously, our results may help to design new quinolone derivatives in the future.

Quinone-based polymers for label-free and reagentless electrochemical immunosensors: application to proteins, antibodies and pesticides detection.

Polyquinone derivatives are widely recognized in the literature for their remarkable properties, their biocompatibility, simple synthesis, and easy bio-functionalization. We have shown that polyquinones present very stable electroactivity in neutral aqueous medium within the cathodic potential domain avoiding side oxidation of interfering species. Besides, they can act as immobilized redox transducers for probing biomolecular interactions in sensors. Our group has been working on devices based on such modified electrodes with a view to applications for proteins, antibodies and organic pollutants using a reagentless label-free electrochemical immunosensor format. Herein, these developments are briefly reviewed and put into perspective.

Enhancement of the antimalarial activity of ciprofloxacin using a double prodrug/bioorganometallic approach.

The derivatization of the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin greatly increases its antimalarial activity by combining bioorganometallic chemistry and the prodrug approach. Two new achiral compounds 2 and 4 were found to be 10- to 100-fold more active than ciprofloxacin against Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-susceptible and chloroquine-resistant strains. These achiral derivatives killed parasites more rapidly than did ciprofloxacin. Compounds 2 and 4 were revealed to be promising leads, creating a new family of antimalarial agents.

Synthesis of novel migrastatin and dorrigocin A analogues from D-glucal.

The synthesis of a range of analogues of the migrastatin macrolide core has been achieved from tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal in order to facilitate structure-activity studies. Efficient macrolactone formation was achieved in the presence of a reactive olefin, by increasing steric hindrance in the olefin environment. Acyclic analogues of migrastatin, structurally related to dorrigocin A, have also been prepared from D-glucal. The dorrigocin A analogues were prepared using the combination of the cross metathesis of ethyl 6-heptenoate with a glycal derivative and a subsequent allylic rearrangement-alkene isomerisation reaction (Perlin reaction). A synthetic route is thus provided that will enable dorrigocin A analogues to be prepared in parallel to migrastatin analogues in the search for novel anti-cancer and anti-arthritic therapeutics. Biological evaluation of one migrastatin and one dorrigocin A sugar derived analogue show that they inhibit proliferation and serum-induced migration of tumour and synovial cells at higher concentrations than evodiamine. Dorrigocin A analogues displayed similar potency to analogues of the migrastatin core.

Design, synthesis and activity against Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium spp., and Mycobacterium tuberculosis of new 6-fluoroquinolones.

This paper reports on the rational design of a series of new 6-fluoroquinolones by QSAR analysis against Toxoplasma (T.) gondii, their synthesis, their biological evaluation against T. gondii and Plasmodium (P.) spp., and their effect on Mycobacterium (M.) tuberculosis DNA gyrase and growth inhibition. Of the 12 computer-designed 8-ethyl(or methoxy)- and 5-ethyl-8-methoxy-6-fluoroquinolones predicted to be active against T. gondii, we succeeded in the synthesis of four 6-fluoro-8-methoxy-quinolones. The four 6-fluoro-8-methoxy-quinolones are active on T. gondii but only one is as active as predicted. One of these four compounds appears to be an antiparasitical drug of great potential with inhibitory activities comparable to or higher than that of trovafloxacin, gatifloxacin, and moxifloxacin. They also inhibit DNA supercoiling by M. tuberculosis gyrase with an efficiency comparable to that of the most active quinolones but are poor inhibitors of M. tuberculosis growth.

Quinolone-based drugs against Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium spp.

Owing to the rapid emergence of multi-resistant strains of Plasmodium spp. (the causative agents of malaria) and the limitations of drugs used against Toxoplasma gondii (an important opportunistic pathogen associated with AIDS and congenital birth defects), the discovery of new therapeutical targets and the development of new drugs are needed. The presence of the prokaryotic-like organelle in apicomplexan parasites (i.e. plastids), which comprise these major human pathogens, may represent a unique target for antibiotics against these protozoa. Quinolones which are known to be highly potent against bacteria were also found to specifically disrupt these parasites. They inhibit DNA replication by interacting with two essential bacterial type II topoisomerases, DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. There are some clues that quinolones act on plastids with a similar mechanism of action. After a brief presentation of plasmodium and toxoplasma dedicated to their life cycle, the chemotherapies presently used in clinics to fight against these protozoa and the potential new targets and drugs, we will focus our attention on their plastid which is one of these promising new targets. Then, we will present the various drugs and generations of quinolones, the leading molecules, and their inhibitory effects against these parasites together with their pharmacological properties that have been established from in vitro and in vivo studies. We will also discuss their possible mode of action.