Development of sulfahydantoin derivatives as ß-lactamase inhibitors.

Sulfahydantoin-based molecules may provide a means to counteract antibiotic resistance, which is on the rise. These molecules may act as inhibitors of ß-lactamase enzymes, which are key in some resistance mechanisms. In this paper, we report on the synthesis of 6 novel sulfahydantoin derivatives by the key reaction of chlorosulfonyl isocyanate to form α-amino acid derived sulfamides, and their cyclization into sulfahydantoins. The synthesis is rapid and provides the target compounds in 8 steps. We investigated their potential as ß-lactamase inhibitors using two common Class A ß-lactamases, TEM-1 and the prevalent extended-spectrum TEM-15. Two compounds, 3 and 6, show substantial inhibition of the ß-lactamases with IC50 values between 130 and 510 µM and inferred Ki values between 32 and 55 µM.

Preventing Candida albicans biofilm formation using aromatic-rich piperazines.

The global increase in microbial resistance is an imminent threat to public health. Effective treatment of infectious diseases now requires new antimicrobial therapies. We report herein the discovery of aromatic-rich piperazines that inhibit biofilm formation by C. albicans. 22 piperazines, including 16 novel ones, were prepared efficiently using a combination of solid- and solution phase synthesis. The most potent compound prevents morphological switching under several hypha-inducing conditions and reduces C. albicans' ability to adhere to epithelial cells. These processes are essential to the development of Candida biofilms, which are associated with its increased resistance to immune defenses and antifungal agents.

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of isoquebecol.

We report here the synthesis of isoquebecol, an unprecedented constitutional isomer of quebecol, a polyphenolic compound discovered in maple syrup. The methodology used to prepare isoquebecol involves, as key steps, the formation of a dibromoalkene from an α-ketoester precursor, followed by a double Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. The anti-inflammatory activity of isoquebecol was studied on macrophage cells by monitoring its ability to inhibit LPS-induced IL-6 secretion. Results show that this new compound has an improved bioactivity over that of its natural isomer. Precursors and derivatives of quebecol, isoquebecol and model analog 2,3,3-triphenylpropanol were also prepared and tested in this study. Comparison between the three series of compounds led to establishing new SARs concerning the aryl ring substitution pattern on the triarylpropanol scaffold and substructure functionalization.

Crown ether modified peptides: Length and crown ring size impact on membrane interactions.

Antimicrobial peptides are widely studied as an alternative to traditional antibiotics. However, they are difficult to develop, as multiple factors influence their potency and selectivity toward bacterial cells. In this paper, we investigate three simplified model peptides that bear crown ethers, and the effects of simple structural modifications (peptide length and crown ether ring size) on their secondary structures and their permeabilizing activity on living cells and model membranes made with egg yolk phosphatidylcholine or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylglycerol. Circular dichroism studies show that the peptide length and the crown ether ring size do influence the conformation, but no trend could be determined from the results. Permeabilization studies with model membranes and with red blood cells demonstrated that from 13 residues to 16 residues, there is a gradual increase in activity as the peptides get longer. However, the shortest tested analogs, with 12 residues, also exhibited an increase in activity caused by the removal of one amino acid that was bearing a crown ether. Permeabilization assays showed that larger ring size analogs showed higher hemolytic activities. Altogether, the results reported help design new and more selective antimicrobial peptides.