In vitro antibacterial activity of α-methoxyimino acylide derivatives against macrolide-resistant pathogens and mutation analysis in 23S rRNA.

We characterized in vitro activities of α-methoxyimino acylides against macrolide-resistant clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes and Mycoplasma pneumoniae with ribosome modification or substitution and selected acylide-resistant mutants to clarify the binding point of the acylides. The acylides had low MICs against erm(B) gene-containing S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes (MIC90s, 1-4 µg ml-1). For M. pneumoniae, although they had poor potencies against macrolide-resistant strains with the A2058G (Escherichia coli numbering) mutation in 23S rRNA (MICs, >32 µg ml-1), one of them showed in vitro activities against macrolide-resistant strains with the A2058U or A2059G mutations (MICs, 0.5-1 µg ml-1). These A2058U and A2059G mutant strains were used for the selection of acylide-resistant mutants. A genetic analysis showed that new point mutations in acylide-resistant mutants were found at G2576 in domain V of 23S rRNA and at Lys90 in L22 ribosomal protein. Furthermore, a molecular modeling study revealed that G2505/C2610, which enables stacking with G2576, might interact with a pyridyl moiety or an α-methoxyimino group at the 3-position of acylides. The α-methoxyimino acylides were shown to possess a tertiary binding point at G2505/C2610 in 23S rRNA. Our results suggest that α-methoxyimino acylides represent significant progress in macrolide antimicrobials.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 6-O-(heteroaryl-isoxazolyl)propynyl 2-fluoro ketolides.

Macrolide antibiotics are widely prescribed for the treatment of respiratory tract infections; however, the increasing prevalence of macrolide-resistant pathogens is a public health concern. Therefore, the development of new macrolide derivatives with activities against resistant pathogens is urgently needed. A series of novel 6-O-(heteroaryl-isoxazolyl)propynyl 2-fluoro ketolides has been synthesized from erythromycin A. These compounds have shown very promising in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities against key respiratory pathogens including erythromycin-susceptible/resistant strains.

Recent developments in macrolide antimicrobial research.

Clarithromycin and azithromycin, which are more acid-stable than erythromycin A (EM), have been widely prescribed for the treatment of respiratory tract infections because of their high efficacy and safety. However, these macrolide antibiotics are only weakly active against pathogens with an efflux gene (mef) and are inactive against pathogens with a methyltransferase-inducible gene (erm) and constitutively resistant organisms. To address the drug resistance issue, tremendous efforts have been devoted to the modification of the macrolide structure. As a consequence, several types of decladinosyl derivatives, such as ketolide and acylides, have been recognized to be effective against mef-type resistant streptococci and methylase-inducible staphylococci. It has also been recognized that derivatives containing certain 11-, 6- or 4 -tethered aryl substituents, such as telithromycin (HMR 3647), cethromycin (ABT-773) and CP-544372, are effective against erm(B)-type resistant streptococci. Telithromycin was recently approved in several European countries for the treatment of respiratory tract infections and cethromycin is now in the final stage of clinical study. Macrolide antibiotics have been modified to address the issues of acid-instability and inactivity against resistant strains. In this review, we will summarize the progress in the macrolide research area and discuss the desirable features of the next generation macrolide antibiotics.