Substituent effects on the antibacterial activity of nitrogen-carbon-linked (azolylphenyl)oxazolidinones with expanded activity against the fastidious gram-negative organisms Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis.

A series of new nitrogen-carbon-linked (azolylphenyl)oxazolidinone antibacterial agents has been prepared in an effort to expand the spectrum of activity of this class of antibiotics to include Gram-negative organisms. Pyrrole, pyrazole, imidazole, triazole, and tetrazole moieties have been used to replace the morpholine ring of linezolid (2). These changes resulted in the preparation of compounds with good activity against the fastidious Gram-negative organisms Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. The unsubstituted pyrrolyl analogue 3 and the 1H-1,2,3-triazolyl analogue 6 have MICs against H. influenzae = 4 microgram/mL and M. catarrhalis = 2 microgram/mL. Various substituents were also placed on the azole moieties in order to study their effects on antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. Interesting differences in activity were observed for many analogues that cannot be rationalized solely on the basis of sterics and position/number of nitrogen atoms in the azole ring. Differences in activity rely strongly on subtle changes in the electronic character of the overall azole systems. Aldehyde, aldoxime, and cyano azoles generally led to dramatic improvements in activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria relative to unsubstituted counterparts. However, amide, ester, amino, hydroxy, alkoxy, and alkyl substituents resulted in no improvement or a loss in antibacterial activity. The placement of a cyano moiety on the azole often generates analogues with interesting antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. In particular, the 3-cyanopyrrole, 4-cyanopyrazole, and 4-cyano-1H-1,2,3-triazole congeners 28, 50, and 90 had S. aureus MICs

Structure-based design of nonpeptidic HIV protease inhibitors: the sulfonamide-substituted cyclooctylpyramones.

Recently, cyclooctylpyranone derivatives with m-carboxamide substituents (e.g. 2c) were identified as potent, nonpeptidic HIV protease inhibitors, but these compounds lacked significant antiviral activity in cell culture. Substitution of a sulfonamide group at the meta position, however, produces compounds with excellent HIV protease binding affinity and antiviral activity. Guided by an iterative structure-based drug design process, we have prepared and evaluated a number of these derivatives, which are readily available via a seven-step synthesis. A few of the most potent compounds were further evaluated for such characteristics as pharmacokinetics and toxicity in rats and dogs. From this work, the p-cyanophenyl sulfonamide derivative 35k emerged as a promising inhibitor, was selected for further development, and entered phase I clinical trials.

A new affinity label for guanosine nucleotide sites in proteins.

A new guanosine analogue has been synthesized, 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl guanosine, which has an electrophilic moiety capable of reacting covalently with several classes of amino acid side chains found in proteins. This compound reacts with bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase to desensitize it irreversibly to inhibition by GTP, without affecting its intrinsic catalytic activity. The specific addition of GTP or GTP and TPNH to the reaction mixture prevents the loss of sensitivity to GTP inhibition. The corporation of approximately 1 mol of 5'-p-sulfonylbenzoyl guanosine/enzyme subunit is associated with the decreased responsiveness of the enzyme to regulation by GTP. It is proposed that 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl guanosine may be reacting within the allosteric GTP site of glutamate dehydrogenase and that this compound may have general applicability in the affinity labeling of regulatory and catalytic sites of proteins which normally bind guanosine nucleotides.

Isomeric inversion of ibuprofen (R)-enantiomer in humans.

Enantiomeric compositions of the major urinary metabolites of ibuprofen [(RS)-2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid]were characterized after oral administration of the racemic mixture and oral administration of the individual enantiomers to normal human volunteers. Resolution of the diastereomeric amides, formed by reaction of the urinary metabolites with (S)-(-)-alpha-methylbenzylamine, was achieved by GLC. Only the (R)-(-)-enantiomer of the intact drug was inverted to its optical antipode, (S)-(+), in humans. However, both (S)-(+)- and (R)-(-)-enantiomers of the intact drug were transformed independently in vivo to the major metabolites, i.e., 2,4'-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl)phenylpropionic acid and 2,4'-(2-carboxypropyl)phenylpropionic acid. In vivo metabolism of ibuprofen to its carboxy metabolite was not stereoselective.