Efforts towards the Identification of Simpler Platensimycin Analogues-The Total Synthesis of Oxazinidinyl Platensimycin

Asymmetric Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Platensilin, Platensimycin, Platencin, and Their Analogs via a Bioinspired Skeletal Reconstruction Approach

Platensilin, platensimycin, and platencin are potent inhibitors of β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase (FabF) in the bacterial and mammalian fatty acid synthesis system, presenting promising drug leads for both antibacterial and antidiabetic therapies. Herein, a bioinspired skeleton reconstruction approach is reported, which enables the unified synthesis of these three natural FabF inhibitors and their skeletally diverse analogs, all stemming from a common ent-pimarane core. The synthesis features a diastereoselective biocatalytic reduction and an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction to prepare the common ent-pimarane core. From this intermediate, stereoselective Mn-catalyzed hydrogen atom-transfer hydrogenation and subsequent Cu-catalyzed carbenoid C-H insertion afford platensilin. Furthermore, the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction succeeded by regioselective ring opening of the newly formed cyclopropane enables the construction of the bicyclo[3.2.1]-octane and bicyclo[2.2.2]-octane ring systems of platensimycin and platencin, respectively. This skeletal reconstruction approach of the ent-pimarane core facilitates the preparation of analogs bearing different polycyclic scaffolds. Among these analogs, the previously unexplored cyclopropyl analog 47 exhibits improved antibacterial activity (MIC80 = 0.0625 μg/mL) against S. aureus compared to platensimycin.

An Experimental Toolbox for Structure-Based Hit Discovery for P. aeruginosa FabF, a Promising Target for Antibiotics

FabF (3-oxoacyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] synthase 2), which catalyses the rate limiting condensation reaction in the fatty acid synthesis II pathway, is an attractive target for new antibiotics. Here, we focus on FabF from P. aeruginosa (PaFabF) as antibiotics against this pathogen are urgently needed. To facilitate exploration of this target we have set up an experimental toolbox consisting of binding assays using bio-layer interferometry (BLI) as well as saturation transfer difference (STD) and WaterLOGSY NMR in addition to robust conditions for structure determination. The suitability of the toolbox to support structure-based design of FabF inhibitors was demonstrated through the validation of hits obtained from virtual screening. Screening a library of almost 5 million compounds resulted in 6 compounds for which binding into the malonyl-binding site of FabF was shown. For one of the hits, the crystal structure in complex with PaFabF was determined. Based on the obtained binding mode, analogues were designed and synthesised, but affinity could not be improved. This work has laid the foundation for structure-based exploration of PaFabF.

Evaluation of Platensimycin and Platensimycin-Inspired Thioether Analogues against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Topical and Systemic Infection Mouse Models

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens causing hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)-formed biofilms in wounds are difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics. By targeting FabB/FabF of bacterial fatty acid synthases, platensimycin (PTM) was discovered to act as a promising natural antibiotic against MRSA infections. In this study, PTM and its previously synthesized sulfur-Michael derivative PTM-2t could reduce over 95% biofilm formation by S. aureus ATCC 29213 when used at 2 μg/mL in vitro. Topical application of ointments containing PTM or PTM-2t (2 × 4 mg/day/mouse) was successfully used to treat MRSA infections in a BABL/c mouse burn wound model. As a potential prodrug lead, PTM-2t showed improved in vivo efficacy in a mouse peritonitis model compared with PTM. Our study suggests that PTM and its analogue may be used topically or locally to treat bacterial infections. In addition, the use of prodrug strategies might be instrumental to improve the poor pharmacokinetic properties of PTM.

A Facile Semi-Synthetic Approach towards Halogen-Substituted Aminobenzoic Acid Analogues of Platensimycin

Platensimycin (PTM), produced by several strains of Streptomyces platensis, is a promising drug lead for infectious diseases and diabetes. The recent pilot-scale production of PTM from S. platensis SB12026 has set the stage for the facile semi-synthesis of a focused library of PTM analogues. In this study, gram-quantity of platensic acid (PTMA) was prepared by the sulfuric acid-catalyzed ethanolysis of PTM, followed by a mild hydrolysis in aqueous lithium hydroxide. Three PTMA esters were also obtained in near quantitative yields in a single step, suggesting a facile route to make PTMA aliphatic esters. 1-[Bis(dimethylamino)methylene]-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridinium 3-oxid hexafluorophosphate (HATU)-catalyzed coupling of PTMA and 33 aminobenzoates resulted in the synthesis of 28 substituted aminobenzoate analogues of PTM, among which 26 of them were reported for the first time. Several of the PTM analogues showed weak antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Our study supported the potential utility to integrate natural product biosynthetic and semi-synthetic approaches for structure diversification.

The synthesis of a series of adenosine A3 receptor agonists

A series of 1'-(6-aminopurin-9-yl)-1'-deoxy-N-methyl-β-d-ribofuranuronamides that were characterised by 2-dialkylamino-7-methyloxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-5-ylmethyl substituents on N6 of interest for screening as selective adenosine A3 receptor agonists, have been synthesised. This work involved the synthesis of 2-dialkylamino-5-aminomethyl-7-methyloxazolo[4,5-b]pyridines and analogues that were coupled with the known 1'-(6-chloropurin-9-yl)-1'-deoxy-N-methyl-β-d-ribofuranuronamide. The oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridines were synthesized by regioselective functionalisation of 2,4-dimethylpyridine N-oxides. The regioselectivities of these reactions were found to depend upon the nature of the heterocycle with 2-dimethylamino-5,7-dimethyloxazolo[4,5-b]pyridine-N-oxide undergoing regioselective functionalisation at the 7-methyl group on reaction with trifluoroacetic anhydride in contrast to the reaction of 4,6-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyridine-N-oxide with acetic anhydride that resulted in functionalisation of the 6-methyl group. To optimise selectivity for the A3 receptor, 5-aminomethyl-7-bromo-2-dimethylamino-4-[(3-methylisoxazol-5-yl)methoxy]benzo[d]oxazole was synthesised and coupled with the 1'-(6-chloropurin-9-yl)-1'-deoxy-N-methyl-β-d-ribofuranuronamide. The products were active as selective adenosine A3 agonists.

A Review on Platensimycin: A Selective FabF Inhibitor

Emerging resistance to existing antibiotics is an inevitable matter of concern in the treatment of bacterial infection. Naturally occurring unique class of natural antibiotic, platensimycin, a secondary metabolite from Streptomyces platensis, is an excellent breakthrough in recent antibiotic research with unique structural pattern and significant antibacterial activity. β-Ketoacyl-(acyl-carrier-protein (ACP)) synthase (FabF) whose Gram-positive bacteria need to biosynthesize cell membranes is the target of inhibition of platensimycin. So, isolation, retrosynthetic analysis, synthesis of platensimycin, and analogues of platensimycin synthesized till today are the objectives of this review which may be helpful to further investigate and to reveal untouched area on this molecule and to obtain a potential antibacterial lead with enhanced significant antibacterial activity.

Review of Platensimycin and Platencin: Inhibitors of β-Ketoacyl-acyl Carrier Protein (ACP) Synthase III (FabH)

Platensimycin and platencin were successively discovered from the strain Streptomyces platensis through systematic screening. These natural products have been defined as promising agents for fighting multidrug resistance in bacteria by targeting type II fatty acid synthesis with slightly different mechanisms. Bioactivity studies have shown that platensimycin and platencin offer great potential to inhibit many resistant bacteria with no cross-resistance or toxicity observed in vivo. This review summarizes the general information on platensimycin and platencin, including antibacterial and self-resistant mechanisms. Furthermore, the total synthesis pathways of platensimycin and platencin and their analogues from recent studies are presented.

Membrane Affinity of Platensimycin and Its Dialkylamine Analogs

Membrane permeability is a desired property in drug design, but there have been difficulties in quantifying the direct drug partitioning into native membranes. Platensimycin (PL) is a new promising antibiotic whose biosynthetic production is costly. Six dialkylamine analogs of PL were synthesized with identical pharmacophores but different side chains; five of them were found inactive. To address the possibility that their activity is limited by the permeation step, we calculated polarity, measured surface activity and the ability to insert into the phospholipid monolayers. The partitioning of PL and the analogs into the cytoplasmic membrane of E. coli was assessed by activation curve shifts of a re-engineered mechanosensitive channel, MscS, in patch-clamp experiments. Despite predicted differences in polarity, the affinities to lipid monolayers and native membranes were comparable for most of the analogs. For PL and the di-myrtenyl analog QD-11, both carrying bulky sidechains, the affinity for the native membrane was lower than for monolayers (half-membranes), signifying that intercalation must overcome the lateral pressure of the bilayer. We conclude that the biological activity among the studied PL analogs is unlikely to be limited by their membrane permeability. We also discuss the capacity of endogenous tension-activated channels to detect asymmetric partitioning of exogenous substances into the native bacterial membrane and the different contributions to the thermodynamic force which drives permeation.

Antibiotics and bacterial resistance in the 21st century

Dangerous, antibiotic resistant bacteria have been observed with increasing frequency over the past several decades. In this review the factors that have been linked to this phenomenon are addressed. Profiles of bacterial species that are deemed to be particularly concerning at the present time are illustrated. Factors including economic impact, intrinsic and acquired drug resistance, morbidity and mortality rates, and means of infection are taken into account. Synchronously with the waxing of bacterial resistance there has been waning antibiotic development. The approaches that scientists are employing in the pursuit of new antibacterial agents are briefly described. The standings of established antibiotic classes as well as potentially emerging classes are assessed with an emphasis on molecules that have been clinically approved or are in advanced stages of development. Historical perspectives, mechanisms of action and resistance, spectrum of activity, and preeminent members of each class are discussed.

The use of platensimycin and platencin to fight antibiotic resistance

Infectious diseases are known as one of the most life-threatening disabilities worldwide. Approximately 13 million deaths related to infectious diseases are reported each year. The only way to combat infectious diseases is by chemotherapy using antimicrobial agents and antibiotics. However, due to uncontrolled and unnecessary use of antibiotics in particular, surviving bacteria have evolved resistance against several antibiotics. Emergence of multidrug resistance in bacteria over the past several decades has resulted in one of the most important clinical health problems in modern medicine. For instance, approximately 440,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are reported every year leading to the deaths of 150,000 people worldwide. Management of multidrug resistance requires understanding its molecular basis and the evolution and dissemination of resistance; development of new antibiotic compounds in place of traditional antibiotics; and innovative strategies for extending the life of antibiotic molecules. Researchers have begun to develop new antimicrobials for overcoming this important problem. Recently, platensimycin - isolated from extracts of Streptomyces platensis - and its analog platencin have been defined as promising agents for fighting multidrug resistance. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that these new antimicrobials have great potential to inhibit methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae by targeting type II fatty acid synthesis in bacteria. Showing strong efficacy without any observed in vivo toxicity increases the significance of these antimicrobial agents for their use in humans. However, at the present time, clinical trials are insufficient and require more research. The strong antibacterial efficacies of platensimycin and platencin may be established in clinical trials and their use in humans for coping with multidrug resistance may be allowed in the foreseeable future.

Inhibitors of fatty acid synthesis in prokaryotes and eukaryotes as anti-infective, anticancer and anti-obesity drugs

There is a large range of diseases, such diabetes and cancer, which are connected to abnormal fatty acid metabolism in human cells. Therefore, inhibitors of human fatty acid synthase have great potential to manage or treat these diseases. In prokaryotes, fatty acid synthesis is important for signaling, as well as providing starting materials for the synthesis of phospholipids, which are required for the formation of the cell membrane. Recently, there has been renewed interest in the development of new molecules that target bacterial fatty acid synthases for the treatment of bacterial diseases. In this review, we look at the differences and similarities between fatty acid synthesis in humans and bacteria and highlight various small molecules that have been shown to inhibit either the mammalian or bacterial fatty acid synthase or both.

Syntheses and antibacterial properties of iso-platencin, Cl-iso-platencin and Cl-platencin: identification of a new lead structure

Platencin is a novel antibiotic which is active against multiresistant pathogens. We describe efficient syntheses of three platencin analogues of varying activities which allow further conclusions about the pharmacophoric part of the molecule. The unnatural antibiotic iso-platencin, which is about as active as natural platencin, but much more selective, was identified as a new lead structure.

Discovery and syntheses of "superbug challengers"-platensimycin and platencin

Bacteria have developed resistance to almost all existing antibiotics known today and this has been a major issue over the last few decades. The search for a new class of antibiotics with a new mode of action to fight these multiply-drug-resistant strains, or "superbugs", allowed a team of scientists at Merck to discover two novel antibiotics, platensimycin and platencin using advanced screening strategies, as inhibitors of bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis, which is essential for the survival of bacteria. Though both these antibiotics are structurally related, they work by slightly different mechanisms and target different enzymes conserved in the bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis. This Focus Review summarizes the synthetic and biological aspects of these natural products and their analogues and congeners.

Paradigm shift in discovering next-generation anti-infective agents: targeting quorum sensing, c-di-GMP signaling and biofilm formation in bacteria with small molecules

Small molecules that can attenuate bacterial toxin production or biofilm formation have the potential to solve the bacteria resistance problem. Although several molecules, which inhibit bacterial cell-to-cell communication (quorum sensing), biofilm formation and toxin production, have been discovered, there is a paucity of US FDA-approved drugs that target these processes. Here, we review the current understanding of quorum sensing in important pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and provide examples of experimental molecules that can inhibit both known and unknown targets in bacterial virulence factor production and biofilm formation. Structural data for protein targets that are involved in both quorum sensing and cyclic diguanylic acid signaling are needed to aid the development of molecules with drug-like properties in order to target bacterial virulence factors production and biofilm formation.

Engineering of Streptomyces platensis MA7339 for overproduction of platencin and congeners

Platensimycin (1) and platencin (2) are novel antibiotic leads against multidrug resistant pathogens. The production of 2 in Streptomyces platensis MA7339 is under the control of ptnR1, a GntR-like transcriptional regulator. Inactivating ptnR1 afforded S. platensis MA7339 mutant strain SB12600 that overproduces 2 at a titer approximately 100-fold greater than that from the wild-type strain and accumulates platencin A(1) (3) and eight new congeners, platencins A(2)-A(9) (4-11). The isolation, structural elucidation, and antibacterial activity of 4-11, in comparison to 1-3, are described.

7-Phenylplatensimycin and 11-methyl-7-phenylplatensimycin: more potent analogs of platensimycin

Carbonyl ylide cycloaddition strategy was employed in the synthesis of platensimycin analogs. 7-Phenylplatensimycin and 11-methyl-7-phenylplatensimycin are more potent analogs of platensimycin.

Synthesis and antibacterial properties of (-)-nor-platencin

An asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction between acrolein and 1-benzyloxymethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene affords a bicyclic aldehyde that was elaborated in 11 steps to nor-platencin. nor-Platencin is 4-16 times less active than platencin against several resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, macrolide-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium.

Total synthesis of platensimycin and related natural products

Platensimycin is the flagship member of a new and growing class of antibiotics with promising antibacterial properties against drug-resistant bacteria. The total syntheses of platensimycin and its congeners, platensimycins B(1) and B(3), platensic acid, methyl platensinoate, platensimide A, homoplatensimide A, and homoplatensimide A methyl ester, are described. The convergent strategy developed toward these target molecules involved construction of their cage-like core followed by attachment of the various side chains through amide bond formation. In addition to a racemic synthesis, two asymmetric routes to the core structure are described: one exploiting a rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric cycloisomerization, and another employing a hypervalent iodine-mediated de-aromatizing cyclization of an enantiopure substrate. The final two bonds of the core structure were forged through a samarium diiodide-mediated ketyl radical cyclization and an acid-catalyzed etherification. The rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric reaction involving a terminal acetylene was developed as a general method for the asymmetric cycloisomerization of terminal enynes.

Total syntheses of (+/-)-platencin and (-)-platencin

The secondary metabolites platensimycin and platencin, isolated from the bacterial strain Streptomyces platensis, represent a novel class of natural products exhibiting unique and potent antibacterial activity. Platencin, though structurally similar to platensimycin, has been found to operate through a slightly different mechanism of action involving the dual inhibition of lipid elongation enzymes FabF and FabH. Both natural products exhibit strong, broad-spectrum, gram-positive antibacterial activity to key antibiotic resistant strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Described herein are our synthetic efforts toward platencin, culminating in both racemic and asymmetric preparation of the natural product. The syntheses demonstrate the power of the cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction and the one-pot reductive rearrangement of [3.2.1] bicyclic ketones to [2.2.2] bicyclic olefins.