Novel 4-aminoquinolines: Synthesis, inhibition of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase, antitubercular activity, SAR, and preclinical evaluation.

Herein a series of 4-aminoquinolines were synthesized in an attempt to optimize and study the structural features related to LABIO-17 biological activity, a Mycobacterium tuberculosis NADH-dependent enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (MtInhA) inhibitor previously identified by a virtual-ligand-screening approach. Structure-activity relationships led to novel submicromolar inhibitors of MtInhA and potent antitubercular agents. The lead compound is 87-fold more potent as enzymatic inhibitors and 32-fold more potent against M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain in comparison with LABIO-17. These molecules were also active against multidrug-resistant strains, devoid of apparent toxicity to mammalian cells and showed favorable in vitro ADME profiles. Additionally, these compounds were active in an intracellular model of tuberculosis (TB) infection, showed no genotoxicity signals, satisfactory absorption parameters and absence of in vivo acute toxicity. Finally, treatment with selected 4-aminoquinoline for two weeks produced bacteriostatic effect in a murine model of TB. Taken together, these findings indicate that this chemical class may furnish candidates for the future development of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis treatments.

Antitubercular Activity of Novel 2-(Quinoline-4-yloxy)acetamides with Improved Drug-Like Properties.

Using cycloalkyl and electron-donating groups to decrease the carbonyl electrophilicity, a novel series of 2-(quinoline-4-yloxy)acetamides was synthesized and evaluated as in vitro inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) growth. Structure-activity relationship studies led to selective and potent antitubercular agents with minimum inhibitory concentrations in the submicromolar range against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Mtb strains. An evaluation of the activity of the lead compounds against a spontaneous qcrB mutant strain indicated that the structures targeted the cytochrome bc 1 complex. In addition, selected molecules inhibited Mtb growth in a macrophage model of tuberculosis infection. Furthermore, the leading compound was chemically stable depending on the context and showed good kinetic solubility, high permeability, and a low rate of in vitro metabolism. Finally, the pharmacokinetic profile of the compound was assessed after oral administration to mice. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, a 2-(quinoline-4-yloxy)acetamide was obtained with a sufficient exposure, which may enable in vivo effectiveness and its further development as an antituberculosis drug candidate.