ABSTRACT
8-Nitro-benzothiazinones (BTZs), such as BTZ043 and PBTZ169, inhibit decaprenylphosphoryl-β-d-ribose 2′-oxidase (DprE1) and display nanomolar bactericidal activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed the 8-nitro group of the BTZ scaffold to be crucial for the mechanism of action, which involves formation of a semimercaptal bond with Cys387 in the active site of DprE1. To date, substitution of the 8-nitro group has led to extensive loss of antimycobacterial activity. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of the pyrrole-benzothiazinones PyrBTZ01 and PyrBTZ02, non-nitro-benzothiazinones that retain significant antimycobacterial activity, with MICs of 0.16 μg/ml against M. tuberculosis. These compounds inhibit DprE1 with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of <8 μM and present favorable in vitro absorption-distribution-metabolism-excretion/toxicity (ADME/T) and in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles. The most promising compound, PyrBTZ01, did not show efficacy in a mouse model of acute tuberculosis, suggesting that BTZ-mediated killing through DprE1 inhibition requires a combination of both covalent bond formation and compound potency.
FOOTNOTES
- Received 2 April 2015.
- Returned for modification 28 April 2015.
- Accepted 7 May 2015.
- Accepted manuscript posted online 18 May 2015.
‡ For this virtual institution, see http://www.mm4tb.org.
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AAC.00778-15.
- Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.