seco-Cyclothialidines: new concise synthesis, inhibitory activity toward bacterial and human DNA topoisomerases, and antibacterial properties.

seco-Cyclothialidines are a promising class of bacterial DNA gyrase B subunit inhibitors. A new seco-cyclothialidine derivative containing a dioxazine moiety, BAY 50-7952, was synthesized through a new concise pathway. One key step of the synthesis is the straightforward formation of the 2-aminothiazole derivative of S-tritylcysteine. In biological tests, BAY 50-7952 and other known seco-cyclothialidines exhibited high and selective activity toward bacterial DNA gyrase and toward Gram-positive bacteria. The dioxazine moiety and other similar groups were found to be important for the ability of the seco-cyclothialidines to penetrate bacterial membranes. The opposite enantiomer ((S)-form) of BAY 50-7952 was also synthesized, and neither significant target activity nor in vitro antibacterial activity were found, suggesting a highly selective fit of the (R)-form. Despite promising in vitro activity, only poor activity was found in the murine infection model.

[Synthesis of a disaccharide with antibiotic activity]. / Synthese eines Antibiotisch Aktiven Disaccharids.

The aminodisaccharide glycoside methyl 2,4-diamino-2,4-dideoxy-6-O-(2,6-diamino-2,6-dideoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)- beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), which exhibits a structural resemblance to neamine, was synthesized via the azido method. Starting from 6-O-acetyl-2-azido-3,4-di-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl bromide, the alpha-D-glycosylation of O-6 of methyl 2,4-diazido-3-O-benzyl-2,4-dideoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside was accomplished stereoselectively at low temperatures in the presence of mercury bromide. Against some gram-negative test-organisms, the activity of 4 was found to be in the same range as neamine, but directed against different germs.

Novel bacterial acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase inhibitors with antibiotic efficacy in vivo.

The pseudopeptide pyrrolidinedione antibiotics, such as moiramide B, have recently been discovered to target the multisubunit acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) carboxylases of bacteria. In this paper, we describe synthetic variations of each moiety of the modularly composed pyrrolidinediones, providing insight into structure-activity relationships of biochemical target activity, in vitro potency, and in vivo efficacy. The novel derivatives showed highly improved activities against gram-positive bacteria compared to those of previously reported variants. The compounds exhibited a MIC(90) value of 0.1 microg/ml against a broad spectrum of Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates. No cross-resistance to antibiotics currently used in clinical practice was observed. Resistance mutations induced by pyrrolidinediones are exclusively located in the carboxyltransferase subunits of the bacterial acetyl-CoA carboxylase, indicating the identical mechanisms of action of all derivatives tested. Improvement of the physicochemical profile was achieved by salt formation, leading to aqueous solubilities of up to 5 g/liter. For the first time, the in vitro activity of this compound class was compared with its in vivo efficacy, demonstrating a path from compounds weakly active in vivo to agents with significant efficacy. In a murine model of S. aureus sepsis, the 100% effective dose of the best compound reported was 25 mg/kg of body weight, only fourfold higher than that of the comparator molecule linezolid. The obvious improvements achieved by chemical derivatization reflect the potential of this novel antibiotic compound class for future therapy.

In vitro activity of BAY 12-8039, a new 8-methoxyquinolone.

BAY 12-8039 is a new 8-methoxyquinolone with antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria which is significantly better than those of sparfloxacin or ciprofloxacin. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for 90% of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis were 0.062 and 2 mg/l, respectively. The MIC90s for ciprofloxacin-resistant, methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant S. aureus were 8 mg/l. Against the staphylococcal strains tested sparfloxacin was 2-fold and ciprofloxacin > or = 10-fold less active. MIC90s for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus agalactiae were 0.125-0.5 mg/l, irrespective of whether strains with diminished ciprofloxacin susceptibility or ciprofloxacin-susceptible strains were tested. Against the streptococci sparfloxacin was 2- to 4-fold less active. Against gram-negative bacteria BAY 12-8039 is almost as active as ciprofloxacin, except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Against Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides spp. and Clostridium spp. BAY 12-8039 was as active as metronidazole. The bactericidal activity against S. aureus and S. pneumoniae was in contrast to that of the other quinolones tested, penicillin G, amoxicillin+/-clavulanate, cefuroxime and clarithromycin, concentration-dependent. As compared to ciprofloxacin, development of resistance was less pronounced. The spontaneous mutation frequency towards BAY 12-8039 resistance was 2.8 x 10(-8) in Escherichia coli, 7.06 x 10(-8) in S. aureus and < 1.4 x 10(-9) in S. pneumoniae.

Effect of ciprofloxacin on stationary bacteria studied in vivo in a murine granuloma pouch model infected with Escherichia coli.

A granuloma pouch model in mice was used to investigate the effect of ciprofloxacin in vivo on cells of Escherichia coli (Neumann) under stationary growth conditions. The animals were treated up to three times intraperitoneally with 2.5, 10 or 40 mg/kg ciprofloxacin 24 h after infection. The numbers of viable bacteria in the pouch exudate were determined over a period of 24 h. A rapid decline of more than 1 logarithmic unit of the number of colony forming units was observed after 2-4 h with all treatment schedules. The effect on stationary cells was more pronounced with the high dose of ciprofloxacin and also dependent on the frequency of treatment. Ciprofloxacin penetrated well into the pouch exudate and reached concentrations of 2.08 +/- 0.16 microgram/ml and 0.1 +/- 0.05 microgram/ml 2 h after treatment with 40 and 2.5 mg/kg, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that ciprofloxacin is effective in the treatment of a local inflammatory abscess in mice harbouring a stationary population of E. coli.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of vancomycin dimers with potent activity against vancomycin-resistant bacteria: target-accelerated combinatorial synthesis.

Based on the notion that dimerization and/or variation of amino acid 1 of vancomycin could potentially enhance biological activity, a series of synthetic and chemical biology studies were undertaken in order to discover potent antibacterial agents. Herein we describe two ligation methods (disulfide formation and olefin metathesis) for dimerizing vancomycin derivatives and applications of target-accelerated combinatorial synthesis (e.g. combinatorial synthesis in the presence of vancomycin's target Ac2-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala) to generate libraries of vancomycin dimers. Screening of these compound libraries led to the identification of a number of highly potent antibiotics effective against vancomycin-suspectible, vancomycin-intermediate resistant and, most significantly, vancomycin-resistant bacteria.

In vitro evaluation of BAY Y3118, a new full-spectrum fluoroquinolone.

BAY Y3118, 1-cyclopropyl-7-(2,8-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-8-yl)-6-fluoro-8- chloro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid hydrochloride, is a new fluoroquinolone with antibacterial activity against an expanded spectrum of species including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and also anaerobes such as Bacteriodes fragilis and Clostridium perfringens. MIC90s for S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. faecalis, and S. pneumoniae clinical isolates were 0.125, 0.25, 0.125 and 0.25 micrograms/ml, respectively. Against methicillin- and/or quinolone-resistant S. aureus, MIC50 levels of BAY Y3118 were 10- to 100-fold lower than those of tosufloxacin, sparfloxacin, or ciprofloxacin. The potency of BAY Y3118 against all members of the Enterobacteriaceae generally was equal to or 2-fold greater than that of ciprofloxacin or tosufloxacin. BAY Y3118 was also highly active against Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Increasing inoculum concentrations had a minimal effect on MIC determinations. The drug was determined to be bactericidal based upon reference MBCs and time-kill curves. From the results presented here, it was concluded that this new compound surpasses other known 4-quinolones both in spectrum and activity and that its further evaluation by in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies seems warranted.

Solid- and solution-phase synthesis of vancomycin and vancomycin analogues with activity against vancomycin-resistant bacteria.

Vancomycin, the prototypical member of the glycopeptide family of antibiotics, is a clinically used antibiotic employed against a variety of drug-resistant bacterial strains including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The recent emergence of vancomycin resistance, viewed as a growing threat to public health, prompted us to initiate a program aimed at restoring the potency of this important antibiotic through chemical manipulation of the vancomycin structure. Herein, we describe the development of synthetic technology based on the design of a novel selenium safety catch linker, application of this technology to a solid-phase semisynthesis of vancomycin, and the solid- and solution-phase synthesis of vancomycin libraries. Biological evaluation of these compound libraries led to the identification of a number of in vitro highly potent antibacterial agents effective against vancomycin-resistant bacteria. In addition to aiding these investigations, the solid-phase chemistry described herein is expected to enhance the power of combinatorial chemistry and facilitate chemical biology and medicinal chemistry studies.

Ribosomal RNA is the target for oxazolidinones, a novel class of translational inhibitors.

Oxazolidinones are antibacterial agents that act primarily against gram-positive bacteria by inhibiting protein synthesis. The binding of oxazolidinones to 70S ribosomes from Escherichia coli was studied by both UV-induced cross-linking using an azido derivative of oxazolidinone and chemical footprinting using dimethyl sulphate. Oxazolidinone binding sites were found on both 30S and 50S subunits, rRNA being the only target. On 16S rRNA, an oxazolidinone footprint was found at A864 in the central domain. 23S rRNA residues involved in oxazolidinone binding were U2113, A2114, U2118, A2119, and C2153, all in domain V. This region is close to the binding site of protein L1 and of the 3' end of tRNA in the E site. The mechanism of action of oxazolidinones in vitro was examined in a purified translation system from E. coli using natural mRNA. The rate of elongation reaction of translation was decreased, most probably because of an inhibition of tRNA translocation, and the length of nascent peptide chains was strongly reduced. Both binding sites and mode of action of oxazolidinones are unique among the antibiotics known to act on the ribosome.