Design, synthesis and molecular docking study of novel triazole-quinazolinone hybrids as antimalarial and antitubercular agents.

In a quest to discover new antimalarial and antitubercular drugs, we have designed and synthesized a series of novel triazole-quinazolinone hybrids. The in vitro screening of the triazole-quinazolinone hybrid entities against the plasmodium species P. falciparum offered potent antimalarial molecules 6c, 6d, 6f, 6g, 6j & 6k owing comparable activity to the reference drugs. Furthermore, the target compounds were evaluated in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Rv strain. Among the screened compounds, 6c, 6d and 6l were found to be the most active molecules with a MIC values of 19.57-40.68 µM. The cytotoxicity of the most active compounds was studied against RAW 264.7 cell line by MTT assay and no toxicity was observed. The computational study including drug likeness and ADMET profiling, DFT, and molecular docking study was done to explore the features of target molecules. The compounds 6a, 6g, and 6k exhibited highest binding affinity of -10.3 kcal/mol with docked molecular targets from M. tuberculosis. Molecular docking study indicates that all the molecules are binding to the falcipain 2 protease (PDB: 6SSZ) of the P. falciparum. Our findings indicated that these new triazole-quinazolinone hybrids may be considered hit molecules for further optimization studies.

Design, synthesis and antitubercular assessment of 1, 2, 3-triazole incorporated thiazolylcarboxylate derivatives.

A library of 1, 2, 3-triazole incorporated thiazolylcarboxylate derivatives (7a-q) and (8a-j) were synthesized and evaluated for their in-vitro antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. The two compounds 7h and 8h have displayed excellent antitubercular activity with MIC values of 3.12 and 1.56 µg/mL respectively (MIC values of standard drugs; Ciprofloxacin 1.56 µg/mL & Ethambutol 3.12 µg/mL). Whereas, the four compounds 7i, 7n, 7p and 8i displayed noticeable antitubercular activity with a MIC value of 6.25 µg/mL. The active compounds of the series were further studied for their cytotoxicity against RAW264.7 cell line using MTT assay. Furthermore, to study the probable mechanism of antitubercular action, physicochemical property profiling, DFT calculation and molecular docking study were executed on mycobacterial cell wall target Decaprenylphosphoryl-ß-d-ribose 2'-epimerase 1 (DprE1). Among all the compounds, 7h (-10 kcal/mol) and 8h (-10.1 kcal/mol) exerted the highest negative binding affinity against the targeted DprE1 (PDB: 4NCR) protein.

Design, synthesis, anti-mycobacterial activity, molecular docking and ADME analysis of spiroquinoxaline-1,2,4-oxadiazoles via [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction under ultrasound irradiation.

The development of anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drugs has become a challenging task in medicinal chemistry. This is because Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB), the pathogen that causes tuberculosis, has an increasing number of drug-resistant strains, and existing medication therapies are not very effective. This resistance significantly demands new anti-TB drug profiles. Here, we present the design and synthesis of a number of hybrid compounds with previously known anti-mycobacterial moieties attached to quinoxaline, quinoline, tetrazole, and 1,2,4-oxadiazole scaffolds. A convenient ultrasound methodology was employed to attain spiroquinoxaline-1,2,4-oxadiazoles via [3 + 2] cycloaddition of quinoxaline Schiff bases and aryl nitrile oxides at room temperature. This approach avoids standard heating and column chromatography while producing high yields and shorter reaction times. The target compounds 3a-p were well-characterized, and their in vitro anti-mycobacterial activity (anti-TB) was evaluated. Among the screened compounds, 3i displayed promising activity against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell line H37Rv, with an MIC99 value of 0.78 µg/mL. However, three compounds (3f, 3h, and 3o) exhibited potent activity with MIC99 values of 6.25 µg/mL. To further understand the binding interactions, the synthesized compounds were docked against the tuberculosis protein 5OEQ using in silico molecular docking. Moreover, the most active compounds were additionally tested for their cytotoxicity against the RAW 264.7 cell line, and the cytotoxicity of compounds 3f, 3h, 3i, and 3o was 27.3, 28.9, 26.4, and 30.2 µg/mL, respectively. These results revealed that the compounds 3f, 3h, 3i, and 3o were less harmful to humans. Furthermore, the synthesized compounds were tested for ADME qualities, and the results suggest that this series is useful for producing innovative and potent anti-tubercular medicines in the future.

A Green one-pot three component synthesis of thiazolidine-2,4-dione based bisspirooxindolo-pyrrolidines with [Bmim]BF4: their in vitro and in silico anti-TB studies.

A simple and effective three-component one-pot green methodology was employed for the synthesis of a new thiazolidine-2,4-dione based bisspirooxindolo-pyrrolidine derivatives using [Bmim]BF4 ionic liquid via [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction. It is an environmentally benign, column chromatography-free, shorter reaction time, good yield and easy product isolation method. The synthesized compounds 10a-x, were thoroughly characterized by using various spectroscopic methods like FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, Mass spectrometry and finally by single crystal X-ray diffraction method. In vitro anti-tubercular (anti-TB) activity studies were carried out on these synthesized compounds, and they showed good to moderate anti-TB activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain. The compound 10a exhibited good anti-TB activity, with an MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) value of 12.5 µg/mL, and the compounds 10m, 10o and 10r showed moderate activity with an MIC value of 25.0 µg/mL. Remaining compounds exhibited poor activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Ethambutol, rifampicin and isoniazid were used as standard drugs. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking experiments on the TB protein (PDB ID: 1DF7) were carried out to understand the binding interactions, and they showed least binding energy values ranging from -8.9 to -7.2 kcal/mol.

N-Substituted piperazine-coupled imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles as inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Synthesis, evaluation, and docking studies.

An innovative series of N-substituted piperazine-linked imidazothiazole derivatives 7(a-x) were synthesized, and their antitubercular effectiveness was evaluated. A three-step reaction sequence involving the condensation of 1,3-dichloroacetone and thiourea, coupling with substituted piperazines to give the intermediates 5(a-d) and cyclization with substituted α-bromoacetophenones produced the desired imidazothiazole derivatives 7(a-x) in excellent yields. In vitro screening of new derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv resulted in 7k (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC]: 0.78 µg/mL) and 7g and 7h (MIC: 1.56 µg/mL) as potent hit compounds. Further, the docking studies of the promising compounds 7k, 7g, and 7h revealed that the best molecular interactions are with the DprE1 in complex with sulfonyl PBTZ of M. tuberculosis as the target protein (PDB ID: 6G83).

New tetrahydropyrimidine-1,2,3-triazole clubbed compounds: Antitubercular activity and Thymidine Monophosphate Kinase (TMPKmt) inhibition.

Two series of new tetrahydropyrimidine (THPM)-1,2,3-triazole clubbed compounds were designed, synthesized and screened for their antitubercular (anti-TB) activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain using microplate alamar blue assay (MABA). The most active compounds 5c, 5d, 5e and 5f were further examined for their cytotoxicity against the growth of RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells using MTT assay. The four compounds showed safety profiles better than or comparable to that of ethambutol (EMB). These compounds were evaluated for their inhibition activity against mycobacterium tuberculosis thymidine monophosphate kinase (TMPKmt). Compounds 5c and 5e were the most potent exhibiting comparable inhibition activity to that of the natural substrate deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP). An in silico study was performed including docking of the most active compounds 5c and 5e into the TMPKmt (PDB: ID 1G3U) binding pocket in addition to prediction of their physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties to explore the overall activity of these anti-TB candidates. Compounds 5c and 5e are promising anti-TB agents and TMPKmt inhibitors with acceptable oral bioavailability, physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking study of some new 4-aminosalicylic acid derivatives as anti-inflammatory and antimycobacterial agents.

In this study, new derivatives of the antitubercular and anti-inflammatory drug, 4-aminosaliclic acids (4-ASA) were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for these activities. In vivo and in viro evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity revealed that compounds 10, 19 and 20 are the most active with potent cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 5-lipooxgenase (5-LOX) inhibition and without causing gasric lesions. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the newly synthesized compound were, also, measured against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37RV. Among the tested compounds 17, 19 and 20 exhibited significant activities against the growth of M. tuberculosis. 20 is the most potent with (MIC 1.04 µM) 2.5 folds more potent than the parent drug 4-ASA. 20 displayed low cytotoxicity against normal cell providing a high therapeutic index. Important structure features were analyzed by docking and structure-activity relationship analysis to give better insights into the structural determinants for predicting the anti-inflammatory and anti-TB activities. Our results indicated that compounds 19 and 20 are potential lead compounds for the discovery of dual anti-inflammatory and anti-TB drug candidates.

Design and synthesis of novel quinazolinyl-bisspirooxindoles as potent anti-tubercular agents: an ultrasound-promoted methodology.

The essential need for the potent anti-tubercular (anti-TB) agents with high selectivity and safety profile prompted us to synthesize a new series of quinazolinyl-bisspirooxindoles. The title compounds were synthesized by one-pot multicomponent [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction under ultrasonication. Further, in vitro anti-TB activity was evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Among the screened compounds, two compounds (4q and 4x) showed potent activity with MIC value 1.56 µg/mL and four compounds exhibited significant activity (MIC = 3.125 µg/mL), and also cytotoxicity studies against RAW 264.7 cell lines reveal that most active compounds were less toxic to humans. In addition, in order to demonstrate the inhibitory properties, molecular docking studies were carried out and the results showed that the target compounds have good binding energy and better binding affinity within the active pocket, thus these compounds may consider to be as potent inhibitors toward selective targets.

Aryl-n-hexanamide linked enaminones of usnic acid as promising antimicrobial agents.

Lichen secondary metabolites are well explored medicinal agents with diverse pharmacological properties. One of the important antibiotic lichen secondary metabolites is usnic acid. Its diverse medicinal profiles prompted us to explore it as a potential antitubercular molecule. Towards this direction, continuing our efforts on the discovery and development of new analogs with potent antitubercular properties we designed, synthesized, and evaluated a set of 37 usnic acid enaminone-coupled aryl-n-hexanamides (3-39). The study yielded a 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl compound (13, 5.3 µM) as the most active anti-TB molecule. The docking studies were performed on 7 different enzymes to better understand the binding modes, where it was observed that compound 13 bound strongly with glucose dehydrogenase (Gscore: - 9.03). Further antibacterial investigations revealed compound 2 with potent inhibition on Salmonella typhi and Bacillus subtilis (MIC 3 µM) and MIC values of 7 and 14 µM on Streptococcus mutans and Escherichia coli respectively. Compound 19 (3-F-5-CF3-phenyl) displayed encouraging antibacterial profiles against E. coli, S. typhi and S. mutans with MIC values of 10 µM respectively. Interestingly, compound 20 (2,6-difluorophenyl) also displayed good antibacterial activity against E. coli with an MIC value of 6 µM. These encouraging pharmacological results will help for better designing and developing usnic acid-based semi-synthetic derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents. A set of 37 new usnic acid enaminone-coupled aryl-n-hexanamides were synthesized and evaluated as potential antimicrobial agents. Compound 13 was identified as the most active antitubercular molecule. 13 was further docked against 7 different enzymes of tuberculosis. The molecule displayed maximum binding energy with the enzyme Glucose dehydrogenase (Gscore: - 9.03), indicating that these hexanamides possibly act by inhibiting the glucose metabolic pathway of the bacterium. Surprisingly, the intermediate hexanoic acid 2 was identified as potent antibacterial agent, acting on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains (3-14 µM). The active compounds may be subjected to structural iterations to develop further leads.

First-in-class pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-diones against leishmaniasis and tuberculosis: Rationale, in vitro, ex vivo studies and mechanistic insights.

Pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-diones were synthesized, for the first time, from indole chalcones and 6-aminouracil, and their ability to inhibit leishmaniasis and tuberculosis (Tb) infections was evaluated. The in vitro antileishmanial activity against promastigotes of Leishmania donovani revealed exceptional activities of compounds 3, 12 and 13, with IC50 values ranging from 10.23 ± 1.50 to 15.58 ± 1.67 µg/ml, which is better than the IC50 value of the standard drug pentostam of 500 µg/ml. The selectivity of the compounds towards Leishmania parasites was evaluated via ex vivo studies in Swiss albino mice. The efficiency of these compounds against Tb infection was then evaluated using the in vitro anti-Tb microplate Alamar Blue assay. Five compounds, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 12, showed MIC100 values against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37 Rv strain at 25 µg/ml, and compound 20 yielded an MIC100 value of 50 µg/ml. Molecular modelling of these compounds highlighted interactions with binding sites of dihydrofolate reductase, pteridine reductase and thymidylate kinase, thus establishing the rationale of their pharmacological activity against both pathogens, which is consistent with the in vitro results. From the above results, it is clear that compounds 3 and 12 are promising lead candidates for Leishmania and Mycobacterium infections and may be promising for coinfections.

Stereoselective synthesis and discovery of novel spirooxindolopyrrolidine engrafted indandione heterocyclic hybrids as antimycobacterial agents.

Novel spirooxindolopyrrolidine embedded indandione heterocyclic hybrids were obtained in excellent yields via a regio- and stereoselective one-pot three component reaction between Baylis-Hillman adduct and non-stabilized azomethine ylides. The structure of newly synthesized compounds was elucidated through 1D and 2D spectroscopic data and the stereochemistry was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In vitro tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using MABA assay reveals that the compound bearing chlorine substituted on the oxindole ring displayed the most potent activity with MIC 0.78 µg/mL and is two-fold active than the standard drug, ethambutol (MIC 1.56 µg/mL).

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of benzo[d]imidazole-2-carboxamides as new anti-TB agents.

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death globally among infectious diseases. Due to the development of resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to currently used anti-TB medicines and the TB-HIV synergism the urgent need to develop novel anti-mycobacterial agents has been realized. The drug-to-target path has been the successful strategy for new anti-TB drug development. All the six drug candidates that have shown promise during the clinical trials and some of these being approved for treatment against MDR TB are the results of phenotype screening of small molecule compound libraries. In search of compounds belonging to novel pharmacophoric class that could be subjected to whole cell assay to generate new anti-TB leads the benzo[d]imidazole-2-carboxamide moiety has been designed as a novel anti-TB scaffold. The design was based on the identification of the benzimidazole ring as a prominent substructure of the FDA approved drugs, the structural analysis of reported anti-TB benzimidazoles, and the presence of the C-2 carboxamido functionality in novel bioisoteric anti-TB benzothiazoles. Twenty seven final compounds have been prepared via NH4Cl-catalyzed amidation of ethyl benzo[d]imidazole-2-carboxylates, as the required intermediates, obtained through a green "all water" one-pot synthetic route following a tandem N-arylation-reduction-cyclocondensation procedure. All of the synthesised target compounds were assessed for anti-TB potential using H37Rv ATCC27294 strain. Thirteen compounds were found with better MIC (0.78-6.25 µg/mL) than the standard drugs and being non-cytotoxic nature (<50% inhibition against RAW 264.7 cell lines at 50 µg/mL). The compound 8e exhibited best anti-TB activity (MIC: 2.15 µM and selectivity index: > 60) and a few others e.g., 8a, 8f, 8k and 8o are the next best anti-TB hits (MIC: 1.56 µg/mL). The determination and analysis of various physiochemical parameters revealed favorable druglike properties of the active compounds. The compounds 8a-l and 8o, with MIC values of ≤ 6.25 µg/mL, have high LipE values (10.66-11.77) that are higher than that of the suggested value of > 6 derived from empirical evidence for quality drug candidates and highlight their therapeutic potential. The highest LipE value of 11.77 of the best active compound 8e with the MIC of 0.78 µg/mL indicates its better absorption and clearance as a probable clinical candidate for anti-TB drug discovery. These findings highlight the discovery of benzimidazole-2-carboxamides for further development as new anti-TB agents.

Indole-fused spirochromenes as potential anti-tubercular agents: design, synthesis and in vitro evaluation.

As part of an ongoing effort to develop new anti-tubercular agents, a series of novel indole-fused spirochromene hybrids (7a-l) were efficiently synthesized in excellent yields by the popular 'Fisher-Indole synthesis' approach. The structure elucidation of the target compounds was carried out by different spectral techniques including 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, ESI Mass, and FTIR analysis. Additionally, the proposed structure of 7i was proved by single-crystal X-ray analysis. These compounds (7a-l) were screened for in vitro anti-tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (ATCC 27294) strain. The results showed that most of the targets exhibited promising antimycobacterial activity with MICs of 1.56-6.25 µg/mL and weak cytotoxicity (19.93-32.16% at 50 µg/mL). Among them, compound 7l was found to be the most active compound (MIC of 1.56 µg/mL) with a good safety profile (32.16% at 50 µg/mL).

Design and characterisation of piperazine-benzofuran integrated dinitrobenzenesulfonamide as Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain inhibitors.

Molecular hybridisation of four bioactive fragments piperazine, substituted-benzofuran, amino acids, and 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonamide as single molecular architecture was designed. A series of new hybrids were synthesised and subjected to evaluation for their inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv. 4d-f and 4o found to exhibit MIC as 1.56 µg/mL, equally active as ethambutol whereas 4a, 4c, 4j displayed MIC 0.78 µg/mL were superior to ethambutol. Tested compounds demonstrated an excellent safety profile with very low toxicity, good selectivity index, and antioxidant properties. All the newly synthesised compounds were thoroughly characterised by analytical methods. The result was further supported by molecular modelling studies on the crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl reductase.

Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of new nitric oxide-donating fluoroquinolone/oxime hybrids.

A new series of nitric oxide-donating fluoroquinolone/oximes was prepared in this study. The nitric oxide release from the prepared compounds was measured using a modified Griess colorimetric method. The antitubercular evaluation of the synthesized compounds indicated that ketone derivatives 2b and 2e and oximes 3b and 3d exhibited somewhat higher activity than their respective parent fluoroquinolones. Mycobacterial DNA cleavage studies and molecular modeling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA gyrase were pursued to explain the observed bioactivity. More important, antibacterial evaluation showed that oximes 3c-e are highly potent against Klebsiella pneumoniae, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 0.06, 0.08, and 0.034 µM, respectively, whereas ketone 2c and oxime 4c are more active against Staphylococcus aureus than ciprofloxacin (MIC values: 0.7, 0.38, and 1.6 µM, respectively). Notably, the antipseudomonal activities of compounds 2a and 4c were much higher than those of their respective parent fluoroquinolones.

Antihypernociceptive effects of Petersianthus macrocarpus stem bark on neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury in rats.

Petersianthus macrocarpus (Lecythidaceae) stem bark is traditionally used in West and Central Africa for the treatment of boils and pain. The present study examined the chemical composition of the aqueous and methanolic stem bark extracts of P. macrocarpus by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) . Their antinociceptive effect was evaluated using chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain in a rat model. On the ninth day post-surgery, the pain perception (allodynia and hyperalgesia) of the animals was assessed after the administration of aqueous and methanolic extracts at the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. In addition, the effect of the extracts was evaluated on nitric oxide activity and on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, and NF-κB). The LC-ESI-MS analysis revealed the presence of ellagic acid as the major constituent in the methanol extract. Both extracts at the employed doses (100 and 200 mg/kg), significantly (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001) reduced the spontaneous pain, tactile and cold allodynia, and mechanical hyperalgesia. The methanolic extract used at the dose of 200 mg/kg significantly reduced the nitric oxide level (p < 0.001) and the gene expression levels of NF-κB (p < 0.05) and TNF-α (p < 0.01) in the brain. These data may indicate that stem bark extracts of P. macrocarpus possess a potent anti-hypernociceptive effect on CCI neuropathic pain. The inhibition of the nitric oxide pathway as well as the reduction in NF-κB and TNF-α gene expression in the brain may at least partially contribute to this effect. The results further support the use of this plant by traditional healers in pain conditions.

Design and synthesis of purine connected piperazine derivatives as novel inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

A series of novel purine linked piperazine derivatives were synthesized to identify new, potent inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The compounds were designed to target MurB disrupting the biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan and exert antiproliferative effects. The first series of purine-2,6-dione linked piperazine derivatives were synthesized using an advanced intermediate 1-(3,4-difluorobenzyl)-7-(but-2-ynyl)-3-methyl-8-(piperazin-1-yl)-1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione hydrochloride (6) which was coupled with varied carboxylic acid chloride derivatives. Following this piperazine linked derivatives were also synthesized from 6 using diverse isocyanate partners. The anti-mycobacterial activity of the analogues was tested againstMycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv which revealed a cluster of six analogues (11, 24,27, 32, 33 and34), possessed promising activity. In comparison, a set of these new compounds possessed greater potencies relative to current drugs used in the clinic such as Ethambutol. These results were also correlated with computational molecular docking analysis, providing models for strong interactions of the inhibitors with MurB providing a template for the future development of preclinical agents against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Design and synthesis of new indanol-1,2,3-triazole derivatives as potent antitubercular and antimicrobial agents.

In a search of new antitubercular agents, herein we have reported a series of new thirty-two indanol-1,2,3-triazole derivatives. The synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antitubercular and antimicrobial activities. Among the screened compounds, most of the compounds have displayed good antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. The compound 5g has been identified as potent antitubercular agent with MIC value 1.56 µM. The most active compounds of the series were further studied for their cytotoxicity against HEK 293 cells using MTT assay and found to be nontoxic. In addition, ten compounds were shown good antimicrobial activities against both antibacterial and antifungal pathogens. A molecular docking study against Mycobacterial enoyl-ACP-reductase (InhA) was performed to gain an insight into the molecular mechanism of antitubercular action. The pharmacokinetic parameters of these compounds were studied and displayed acceptable drug-likeness score.

Novel isoniazid embedded triazole derivatives: Synthesis, antitubercular and antimicrobial activity evaluation.

In the present study, a series of new isoniazid embedded triazole derivatives have been synthesized. These compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antitubercular and antimicrobial activities. Among the screened compounds, six have exhibited potent antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain with MIC value 0.78 µg/mL, whereas, three compounds have displayed activity with MIC value ranging from 1.56 to 3.125 µg/mL. The cytotoxicity of the active compounds was studied against RAW 264.7 cell line by MTT assay and no toxicity was observed even at 25 µg/mL concentration. The five compounds have displayed good antimicrobial activities. Molecular docking have been performed against mycobacterial InhA enzyme to gain an insight into the plausible mechanism of action which could pave the way for our endeavor to identify potent antitubercular candidates. We believe that further optimization of these molecules may lead to potent antitubercular agents.

Synthesis and efficacy of pyrvinium-inspired analogs against tuberculosis and malaria pathogens.

Herein, we report the synthesis and evaluation of pyrvinium-based antimalarial and antitubercular compounds. Pyrvinium is an FDA approved drug for the treatment of pinworm infection, and it has been reported to have antiparasitic and antimicrobial activities. Pyrvinium contains quinoline core coupled with pyrrole. We replaced the pyrrole with various aryl or heteroaryl substituents to generate pyrvinium analogs. The profiling of these compounds against malaria parasite P. falciparum 3D7 revealed analogs with better antimalarial activity than pyrvinium pamoate. Compound 14 and 16 showed IC50 of 23 nM and 60 nM against P. falciparum 3D7, respectively. These compounds were also effective against drug-resistant malaria parasite P. falciparum Dd2 with IC50 of 53 nM and 97 nM, respectively. The cytotoxicity against CHO-K1, HEK and NRK-49F cells revealed better selectivity index for these new analogs compared to pyrvinium. Additionally, this series of compounds showed activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv; particularly compounds 10, 13, 14 and 16 showed equipotent antitubercular activity to that of pyrvinium pamoate. The compounds 14 and 16 should be taken forward as leads for further optimization.