In silico design, synthesis and antitubercular activity of novel 2-acylhydrazono-5-arylmethylene-4-thiazolidinones as enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase inhibitors.

Mycobacteria regulate the synthesis of mycolic acid through the fatty acid synthase system type 1 (FAS I) and the fatty acid synthase system type-2 (FAS-II). Because mammalian cells exclusively utilize the FAS-I enzyme system for fatty acid production, targeting the FAS-II enzyme system could serve as a specific approach for developing selective antimycobacterial drugs. Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase enzyme (MtInhA), part of the FAS-II enzyme system, contains the NADH cofactor in its active site and reduces the intermediate. Molecular docking studies were performed on an in-house database (∼2200 compounds). For this study, five different crystal structures of MtInhA (PDB Code: 4TZK, 4BQP, 4D0S, 4BGE, 4BII) were used due to rotamer difference, mutation and the presence of cofactors. Molecular dynamics simulations (250 ns) were performed for the novel 2-acylhydrazono-5-arylmethylene-4-thiazolidinones derivatives selected by molecular docking studies. Twenty-three compounds selected by in silico methods were synthesized. Antitubercular activity and MtInhA enzyme inhibition studies were performed for compounds whose structures were elucidated by IR,1H-NMR,13C-NMR, HSQC, HMBC, MS and elemental analysis.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Mandelic acid-based spirothiazolidinones targeting M. tuberculosis: Synthesis, in vitro and in silico investigations.

A series of new spirothiazolidinone derivatives with a mandelic acid moiety were synthesized and subsequently tested in growth inhibition assays against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv. Compound 16 displayed the highest inhibition value of 98% at lower than 6.25 µg/mL concentration. A single crystal X-ray analysis was conducted on this compound to confirm the structure and determine its absolute configuration. Afterwards, reverse docking and molecular dynamics simulations of this specific stereoisomer were performed against a selection of 10 putative targets of M. tuberculosis to suggest possible mechanisms of action. Our results suggest HadAB, Pks13, DprE1, FadD32 and InhA as possible target proteins for the observed antimycobacterial activity of compound 16.