Assay for drug discovery: Synthesis and testing of nitrocefin analogues for use as ß-lactamase substrates.

We report on the synthesis of three nitrocefin analogues and their evaluation as substrates for the detection of ß-lactamase activity. These compounds are hydrolyzed by all four Ambler classes of ß-lactamases. Kinetic parameters were determined with eight different ß-lactamases, including VIM-2, NDM-1, KPC-2, and SPM-1. The compounds do not inhibit the growth of clinically important antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria in vitro. These chromogenic compounds have a distinct absorbance spectrum and turn purple when hydrolyzed by ß-lactamases. One of these compounds, UW154, is easier to synthesize from commercial starting materials than nitrocefin and should be significantly less expensive to produce.

Aspergillomarasmine A overcomes metallo-ß-lactamase antibiotic resistance.

The emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens is a global public health problem. The acquisition of metallo-ß-lactamases (MBLs) such as NDM-1 is a principle contributor to the emergence of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens that threatens the use of penicillin, cephalosporin and carbapenem antibiotics to treat infections. To date, a clinical inhibitor of MBLs that could reverse resistance and re-sensitize resistant Gram-negative pathogens to carbapenems has not been found. Here we have identified a fungal natural product, aspergillomarasmine A (AMA), that is a rapid and potent inhibitor of the NDM-1 enzyme and another clinically relevant MBL, VIM-2. AMA also fully restored the activity of meropenem against Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. possessing either VIM or NDM-type alleles. In mice infected with NDM-1-expressing Klebsiella pneumoniae, AMA efficiently restored meropenem activity, demonstrating that a combination of AMA and a carbapenem antibiotic has therapeutic potential to address the clinical challenge of MBL-positive carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.