Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modelling studies of novel quinoline derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Gold catalysis in quinoline synthesis

Quinolines are biologically and pharmaceutically important N-heterocyclic aromatic compounds, which have broad applications in medicinal chemistry. Thus, their efficient synthesis has attracted extensive attention, and a broad range of synthetic strategies have been established. Of note, gold-catalyzed methodologies for the synthesis of quinolines have greatly advanced this field. Various gold-catalyzed intermolecular annulation reactions, such as annulations of aniline derivatives with carbonyl compounds or alkynes, annulations of anthranils with alkynes, and annulations based on A3-coupling reactions, as well as intramolecular cyclization reactions of azide-tethered alkynes, 1,2-diphenylethynes, and 2-ethynyl N-aryl indoles, have been developed. This review provides an overview of this exciting research area. Typical achievements in reaction methodologies and plausible reaction mechanisms are summarized.

Confronting Tuberculosis: A Synthetic Quinoline-Isonicotinic Acid Hydrazide Hybrid Compound as a Potent Lead Molecule Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The current tuberculosis (TB) treatment is challenged by a complex first-line treatment for drug-sensitive (DS) TB. Additionally, the prevalence of multidrug (MDR)- and extensively drug (XDR)-resistant TB necessitates the search for new drug prototypes. We synthesized and screened 30 hybrid compounds containing aminopyridine and 2-chloro-3-formyl quinoline to arrive at a compound with potent antimycobacterial activity, UH-NIP-16. Subsequently, antimycobacterial activity against DS and MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) strains were performed. It demonstrated an MIC50 value of 1.86 ± 0.21 μM for laboratory pathogenic M.tb strain H37Rv and 3.045 ± 0.813 μM for a clinical M.tb strain CDC1551. UH-NIP-16 also decreased the MIC50 values of streptomycin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and bedaquiline to about 45, 55, 68, and 76%, respectively, when used in combination, potentiating their activities. The molecule was active against a clinical MDR M.tb strain. Cytotoxicity on PBMCs from healthy donors and on human cell lines was found to be negligible. Further, blind docking of UH-NIP-16 using Auto Dock Vina and MGL tools onto diverse M.tb proteins showed high binding affinities with multiple M.tb proteins, the top five targets being metabolically critical proteins CelA1, DevS, MmaA4, lysine acetyltransferase, and immunity factor for tuberculosis necrotizing toxin. These bindings were confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy using a representative protein, MmaA4. Envisaging that a pathogen will have a lower probability of developing resistance to a hybrid molecule with multiple targets, we propose that UH-NIP-16 can be further developed as a lead molecule with the bacteriostatic potential against M.tb, both alone and in combination with first-line drugs.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 8-aza-niumylquinolinium tetra-chlorido-zincate(II)

The reaction of 8-amino-quinoline, zinc chloride and hydro-chloric acid in ethanol yielded the title salt, (C9H10N2)[ZnCl4], which consists of a planar 8-aza-n-ium-yl-quinolinium dication and a tetra-hedral tetra-chloro-zincate dianion. The 8-amino-quinoline moiety is protonated at both the amino and the ring N atoms. In the crystal, the cations and anions are connected by inter-molecular N-H⋯Cl and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, forming sheets parallel to (001). Adjacent sheets are linked through π-π inter-actions involving the pyridine and arene rings of the 8-aza-niumylquinolinium dication. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H⋯Cl (48.1%), H⋯H (19.9%), H⋯C/C⋯H (14.3%) (involving the cations) and H⋯Cl (82.6%) (involving the anions) interactions.

Design, synthesis, and biological investigation of quinoline/ciprofloxacin hybrids as antimicrobial and anti-proliferative agents

Ciprofloxacin-Piperazine C-7 linked quinoline derivatives 6a–c and 8a–c were synthesized and investigated for their antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-proliferative activities. Ciprofloxacin-quinoline-4-yl-1,3,4 oxadiazoles 6a and 6b showed promising anticancer activity against SR- leukemia and UO-31 renal cancer cell lines. The hybrids 8a–c and compound 6b exhibited noticeable antifungal activities against C.Albicans; 8a experienced the most potent antifungal activity compared to Itraconazole with MICs of 21.88 µg/mL and 11.22 µg/mL; respectively. Most of derivatives displayed better antibacterial activity than the parent ciprofloxacin against all the tested strains. Compound 6b was the most potent against the highly resistant Gram-negative K.pneumoniae with MIC 16.96 of µg/mL relative to the parent ciprofloxacin (MIC = 29.51 µg/mL). Docking studies of the tested hydrides in the active site of Topo IV enzyme of K.pneumoniae (5EIX) and S.aureus gyrase (2XCT) indicate that they had stronger binding affinity in both enzymes than ciprofloxacin but have different binding interactions. The hybrid 6b could be considered a promising lead compound for finding new dual antibacterial/anticancer agents. Moreover, Compound 8a could be a lead for discovering new dual antibacterial/antifungal agents.

Graphical abstract

Metal- and solvent-free synthesis of aniline- and phenol-based triarylmethanes via Brönsted acidic ionic liquid catalyzed Friedel-Crafts reaction

A beneficial, scalable and efficient methodology for the synthesis of aniline-based triarylmethanes has been established through the double Friedel-Crafts reaction of commercial aldehydes and primary, secondary or tertiary anilines using Brönsted acidic ionic liquid as a powerful catalyst, namely [bsmim][NTf2]. This protocol was successfully performed under metal- and solvent-free conditions with a broad range of substrates, giving the corresponding aniline-based triarylmethane products in good to excellent yields (up to 99%). In addition, alternative aromatic nucleophiles such as phenols and electron-rich arenes were also studied using this useful approach to achieve a diversity of triarylmethane derivatives in high to excellent yields.

A multi-targeting pre-clinical candidate against drug-resistant tuberculosis

FNDR-20081 [4-{4-[5-(4-Isopropyl-phenyl)- [1,2,4]oxadiazol-3-ylmethyl]-piperazin-1-yl}-7-pyridin-3-yl-quinoline] is a novel, first in class anti-tubercular pre-clinical candidate against sensitive and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In-vitro combination studies of FNDR-20081 with first- and second-line drugs exhibited no antagonism, suggesting its compatibility for developing new combination-regimens. FNDR-20081, which is non-toxic with no CYP3A4 liability, demonstrated exposure-dependent killing of replicating-Mtb, as well as the non-replicating-Mtb, and efficacy in a mouse model of infection. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of FNDR-20081 resistant mutants revealed the identification of pleotropic targets: marR (Rv0678), a regulator of MmpL5, a transporter/efflux pump mechanism for drug resistance; and Rv3683, a putative metalloprotease potentially involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. In summary, FNDR-20081 is a promising first in class compound with the potential to form a new combination regimen for MDR-TB treatment.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of mono- and bisquinoline methanamine derivatives as potential antiplasmodial agents

Several classes of antimalarial drugs are currently available, although issues of toxicity and the emergence of drug resistant malaria parasites have reduced their overall therapeutic efficiency. Quinoline based antiplasmodial drugs have unequivocally been long-established and continue to inspire the design of new antimalarial agents. Herein, a series of mono- and bisquinoline methanamine derivatives were synthesised through sequential steps; Vilsmeier-Haack, reductive amination, and nucleophilic substitution, and obtained in low to excellent yields. The resulting compounds were investigated for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against the 3D7 chloroquine-sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum, and compounds 40 and 59 emerged as the most promising with IC₅₀ values of 0.23 and 0.93 µM, respectively. The most promising compounds were also evaluated in silico by molecular docking protocols for binding affinity to the {001} fast-growing face of a hemozoin crystal model.

Inhibitors of F1F0-ATP synthase enzymes for the treatment of tuberculosis and cancer

The spectacular success of the mycobacterial F₁F₀-ATP synthase inhibitor bedaquiline for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis has generated wide interest in the development of other inhibitors of this enzyme. Work in this realm has included close analogues of bedaquiline with better safety profiles and 'bedaquiline-like' compounds, some of which show potent antibacterial activity in vitro although none have yet progressed to clinical trials. The search has lately extended to a range of new scaffolds as potential inhibitors, including squaramides, diaminoquinazolines, chloroquinolines, dihydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrazin-4-ones, thiazolidinediones, diaminopyrimidines and tetrahydroquinolines. Because of the ubiquitous expression of ATP synthase enzymes, there has also been interest in inhibitors of other bacterial ATP synthases, as well as inhibitors of human mitochondrial ATP synthase for cancer therapy. The latter encompass both complex natural products and simpler small molecules. The review seeks to demonstrate the breadth of the structural types of molecules able to effectively inhibit the function of variants of this intriguing enzyme.

Visible-light-mediated synthesis of quinolines

Visible light promoted synthetic routes of quinolines using different strategies are hereby documented.

A comprehensive review on the biological interest of quinoline and its derivatives

Amongst heterocyclic compounds, quinoline is an advantaged scaffold that appears as a significant assembly motif for the development of new drug entities. Quinoline and its derivatives tested with diverse biological activity constitute an important class of compounds for new drug development. Therefore, many scientific communities have developed these compounds as intent structure and evaluated their biological activities. The present, review provides brief natural sources of quinoline and including a new extent of quinoline-based marketed drugs. This review also confers information about the biological activities of quinoline derivatives such as antibacterial, antifungal, antimycobacterial, antiviral, anti-protozoal, antimalarial, anticancer, cardiovascular, CNS effects, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic and miscellaneous activities.

SAR Analysis of Small Molecules Interfering with Energy-Metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains the world's top infectious killer: it caused a total of 1.5 million deaths and 10 million people fell ill with TB in 2018. Thanks to TB diagnosis and treatment, mortality has been falling in recent years, with an estimated 58 million saved lives between 2000 and 2018. However, the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Mtb strains is a major concern that might reverse this progress. Therefore, the development of new drugs acting upon novel mechanisms of action is a high priority in the global health agenda. With the approval of bedaquiline, which targets mycobacterial energy production, and delamanid, which targets cell wall synthesis and energy production, the energy-metabolism in Mtb has received much attention in the last decade as a potential target to investigate and develop new antimycobacterial drugs. In this review, we describe potent anti-mycobacterial agents targeting the energy-metabolism at different steps with a special focus on structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of the most advanced compound classes.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Anti-tuberculosis Agents based on Bedaquiline Structure

Background:

Bedaquiline is a novel anti-tuberculosis drug that inhibits Mycobacterial ATP synthase. However, studies have found that bedaquiline has serious side effects due to high lipophilicity. Recently, the complete structure of ATP synthase was first reported in the Journal of Science.

Objective:

The study aimed to design, synthesise and carry out biological evaluation of antituberculosis agents based on the structure of bedaquiline.

Methods:

The mode of action of bedaquiline and ATP synthase was determined by molecular docking, and a series of low lipophilic bedaquiline derivatives were synthesized. The inhibitory activities of bedaquiline derivatives towards Mycobacterium phlei 1180 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv were evaluated in vitro. A docking study was carried out to elucidate the structureactivity relationship of the obtained compounds. The predicted ADMET properties of the synthesized compounds were also analyzed.

Results:

The compounds 5c3, 6a1, and 6d3 showed good inhibitory activities (MIC=15.62 ug.mL-1). At the same time, the compounds 5c3, 6a1, and 6d3 also showed good drug-like properties through molecular docking and ADMET properties prediction.

Conclusion:

The results of in vitro anti-tuberculosis activity assays, docking studies and ADMET predictions indicate that the synthesized compounds have potential antifungal activity, with compounds 6a1 being further optimized and developed as lead compounds.

Azaphenantherene derivatives as inhibitor of SARS CoV-2 Mpro: Synthesis, physicochemical, quantum chemical and molecular docking analysis

The crystal structure of 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-4-phenyl-5,6-dihydrobenzo[h]quinoline-3-carbonitrile (Ia) and 2-(5-bromo-1H-indol-3-yl)-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5,6-dihydrobenzo[h]quinoline-3-carbonitrile (Ib) were elucidated using single crystal X-ray diffraction. The cyclohexadiene ring adopts screw boat conformation in compound (Ia) and distorted screw boat in compound (Ib). The pyridine ring is effectively planar. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of hydrogen bonding interactions in the compounds were done using Hirshfeld surface analysis, QTAIM and NCI. DFT/B3LYP level of theory was used to optimize both the compounds. These compounds drug-like behaviors were studied using HOMO-LUMO analysis. The molecular docking analysis against M^pro was carried out for the synthesized compounds and some suggested drugs for COVID-19. The docking results were then analyzed.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel triaryldimethylaminobutan-2-ol derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Bedaquiline (TMC207), a typical diarylquinoline anti-tuberculosis drug, has been approved by FDA to specifically treat MDR-TB. Herein we describe design, synthesis, and in vitro biological evaluation against Mycobacterium tuberculosis of a series of triaryldimethylaminobutan-2-ol derivatives obtaining from the structural modification of TMC207. Compounds 23, 25, 28, 32, 39 and 43 provided superior anti-mycobacterial activity than positive control PC01 which shows the same configuration and contains TMC207. Compounds 16, 20, 29, 34, 37, 45 and 47 exhibited the similar activity to positive control PC01. Most importantly, the series of compounds showed excellent activity against XDR-Mtb. The result of acute toxicity suggested that this class of triaryldimethylaminobutan-2-ol derivatives should be graded as low. Further SAR analysis indicates that a large steric bulk of triaryl and 7-Br, 3-OCH₃ on 1-naphthyl are critical.

Synthetic approaches towards bedaquiline and its derivatives

Bedaquiline is a diarylquinoline drug that demonstrates potent and selective inhibition of mycobacterial ATP synthase, and is clinically administered for the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Due to its excellent activity and novel mechanism of action, bedaquiline has been the focus of a number of synthetic studies. This review will discuss these synthetic approaches, as well as the synthesis and bioactivity of the numerous derivatives and molecular probes inspired by bedaquiline.

Synthesis of 2-methoxy-3-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)quinoline containing amino carbinols as antitubercular agents

We have designed and synthesized 2-methoxy-3-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)quinoline containing amino carbinols as possible anti-tubercular agents to combat the disease. These molecules were synthesized by tethering amino ether linkage with hydroxyl group to diarylquinoline skeleton; hydroxyl and amine chains were engrafted on diaryl ring. They were evaluated against strain (H₃₇R_a) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most of compounds showed in vitro antitubercular activity. Two compounds having diaryl quinoline hydroxyl amino ether scaffold and three compounds having diaryl amino alkyl carbinol core showed activities at 6.25 μg/mL. This study explores diaryl carbinol prototype as inhibitor against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Recent Progress in the Synthesis of Quinolines

BACKGROUND

Quinoline-containing compounds present in both natural and synthetic products are an important class of heterocyclic compounds. Many of the substituted quinolines have been used in various areas including medicine as drugs. Compounds with quinoline skeleton possess a wide range of bioactivities such as antimalarial, anti-bacterial, anthelmintic, anticonvulsant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activity. Due to such a wide range of applicability, the synthesis of quinoline derivatives has attracted a lot of attention of chemists to develop effective methods. Many known methods have been expanded and improved. Furthermore, various new methods for quinoline synthesis have been established. This review will focus on considerable studies on the synthesis of quinolines date which back to 2014.

OBJECTIVE

In this review, we discussed recent achievements on the synthesis of quinoline compounds. Some classical methods have been modified and improved, while other new methods have been developed. A vast variety of catalysts were used for these transformations. In some studies, quinoline synthesis reaction mechanisms were also displayed.

CONCLUSION

Many methods for the synthesis of substituted quinoline rings have been developed recently. Over the past five years, the majority of those reported have been based on cycloisomerization and cyclization processes. Undoubtedly, more imaginative approaches to quinoline synthesis will appear in the literature in the near future. The application of known methods to natural product synthesis is probably the next challenge in the field.

Design, Synthesis, Anti-Proliferative Evaluation and Cell Cycle Analysis of Hybrid 2-Quinolones

Background:

Quinolones are a significant group of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds that exist in therapeutic agents, alkaloids, and synthetic small molecules that have important biological activities. A wide range of quinolones have been used as antituberculosis, antibacterial, anti-malarial, antifungal, anticonvulsant, anticancer agents and urease inhibitors.

Methods:

Ethyl 3,3-disubstituted-2-cyano propionates containing hybride quinolones derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of 1-amino-7-hydroxy-4-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one and its dibromo derivative with α, β-unsaturated carbonyl in ethanol.

Results:

A novel series of hybrid 2-quinolone derivatives was designed and synthesized. The compounds structures were confirmed using different spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis. The cytotoxic activities of all the compounds were assessed against HepG2 cell line in comparison with doxorubicin as a standard drug.

Conclusion:

Most compounds revealed superior anti-proliferative activity than the standard. Compound 4b, is the most active compound (IC50 = 0.39mM) compared with doxorubicin (IC50 = 9.23mM). DNA flow cytometric analysis of compound 4b showed cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase with a concomitant increase of cells in apoptotic phase. Dual annexin-V/ propidium iodide staining assay of compound 4b revealed that the selected candidate increased the apoptosis of HepG-2 cells more than control.

A selective removal of the secondary hydroxy group from ortho-dithioacetal-substituted diarylmethanols

We present a successful deoxygenation reaction of ortho-1,3-dithianylaryl(aryl)methanols which enables a selective removal of the secondary hydroxy group in presence of the 1,3-dithianyl moiety under reductive conditions. This reaction proceeds well with ZnI₂/Na(CN)BH₃ in dichloroethane or benzene for both unsubstituted and substituted aryls (by electron-rich groups). This is leading to formyl-protected diarylmethanes with potential application in the synthesis of new pharmaceuticals and optoelectronic materials. This synthetic approach gives an access to a wide variety of functionalized ortho-1,3-dithianylaryl(aryl)methanes in 26–95% yields and is recommended for the substrates containing sulfur atoms, for which transition metal-induced reactions fail.

Facilely accessible quinoline derivatives as potent antibacterial agents

Quinoline compounds have been extensively explored as anti-malaria and anti-cancer agents for decades and show profound functional bioactivities, however, the studies of these compounds in other medicinal fields have lagged dramatically. In this study, we report the development of a series of facilely accessible quinoline derivatives that display potent antibacterial activity against a panel of multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacterial strains, especially C. difficile. We also demonstrated that these molecules are effective in vivo against C. difficile. These results revealed that these types of quinoline compounds could serve as prototypes for the development of an appealing class of antibiotic agents used to combat Gram-positive drug-resistant bacterial strains, including C. difficile.

Synthesis of Novel 2-Thioxothiazolidin-4-one and Thiazolidine-2, 4-dione Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

A variety of novel thiazolidine derivatives (2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one and thiazolidine-2, 4-dione derivatives) have been prepared by using 2,4-diphenyl-2 H-chromene-3-carbaldehyde and its derivatives as starting materials. This is the first example of the preparation of thiazolidine derivatives through this novel method. Structure evolution of the resulting thiazolidine derivatives leads to anticancer agents. Our preliminary data for some model compounds on three cancer cell lines (MCF7, A549 and B-16) suggested reasonable anticancer activity against the A549 and B-16 cell lines, with IC50 values of 20.7 and 20.4 μM, respectively. This method is operationally simple and works with a diverse range of substrates.

Recent advances of imidazole-containing derivatives as anti-tubercular agents

Tuberculosis still remains one of the most common, communicable, and leading deadliest diseases known to mankind throughout the world. Drug-resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis which threatens to worsen the global tuberculosis epidemic has caused great concern in recent years. To overcome the resistance, the development of new drugs with novel mechanisms of actions is of great importance. Imidazole-containing derivatives endow with various biological properties, and some of them demonstrated excellent anti-tubercular activity. As the most emblematic example, 4-nitroimidazole delamanid has already received approval for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis infected patients. Thus, imidazole-containing derivatives have caused great interests in discovery of new anti-tubercular agents. Numerous of imidazole-containing derivatives were synthesized and screened for their in vitro and in vivo anti-mycobacterial activities against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogens. This review aims to outline the recent advances of imidazole-containing derivatives as anti-tubercular agents, and summarize the structure-activity relationship of these derivatives. The enriched structure-activity relationship may pave the way for the further rational development of imidazole-containing derivatives as anti-tubercular agents.

Arylation of Azaarylmethylamines with Aryl Chlorides and a NiBr2/NIXANTPHOS-based Catalyst

A nickel-catalyzed coupling of azaarylmethylamines with aryl chlorides has been achieved. NIXANTPHOS together with low cost NiBr₂ was successfully developed and optimized to exhibit high reactivity at 2.5 mol % loading. Under optimized reaction conditions, aryl(azaaryl)methylamine products were afforded in good to excellent yields (22 examples, up to 98% yield).

Structural Simplification of Bedaquiline: the Discovery of 3-(4-(N,N-Dimethylaminomethyl)phenyl)quinoline-Derived Antitubercular Lead Compounds

Bedaquiline (BDQ) is a novel and highly potent last-line antituberculosis drug that was approved by the US FDA in 2013. Owing to its stereo-structural complexity, chemical synthesis and compound optimization are rather difficult and expensive. This study describes the structural simplification of bedaquiline while preserving antitubercular activity. The compound's structure was split into fragments and reassembled in various combinations while replacing the two chiral carbon atoms with an achiral linkage instead. Four series of analogues were designed; these candidates retained their potent antitubercular activity at sub-microgram per mL concentrations against both sensitive and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Six out of the top nine MIC-ranked candidates were found to inhibit mycobacterial ATP synthesis activity with IC₅₀ values between 20 and 40 μm, one had IC₅₀ >66 μm, and two showed no inhibition, despite their antitubercular activity. These results provide a basis for the development of chemically less complex, lower-cost bedaquiline derivatives and describe the identification of two derivatives with antitubercular activity against non-ATP synthase related targets.

Mechanisms of action and therapeutic efficacies of the lipophilic antimycobacterial agents clofazimine and bedaquiline

Drug-resistant (DR)-TB is the major challenge confronting the global TB control programme, necessitating treatment with second-line anti-TB drugs, often with limited therapeutic efficacy. This scenario has resulted in the inclusion of Group 5 antibiotics in various therapeutic regimens, two of which promise to impact significantly on the outcome of the therapy of DR-TB. These are the 're-purposed' riminophenazine, clofazimine, and the recently approved diarylquinoline, bedaquiline. Although they differ structurally, both of these lipophilic agents possess cationic amphiphilic properties that enable them to target and inactivate essential ion transporters in the outer membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the case of bedaquiline, the primary target is the key respiratory chain enzyme F₁/F₀-ATPase, whereas clofazimine is less selective, apparently inhibiting several targets, which may underpin the extremely low level of resistance to this agent. This review is focused on similarities and differences between clofazimine and bedaquiline, specifically in respect of molecular mechanisms of antimycobacterial action, targeting of quiescent and metabolically active organisms, therapeutic efficacy in the clinical setting of DR-TB, resistance mechanisms, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and adverse events.

Design and Stereochemical Research (DFT, ECD and Crystal Structure) of Novel Bedaquiline Analogs as Potent Antituberculosis Agents

A series of bedaquiline analogs containing H-bond donors were designed as anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis drugs. A pair of diastereoisomers (R/S- and S/S-isomers) was selected from these designed compounds for synthetic and stereochemical research. The title compounds were synthesized from chiral precursors for the first time and the absolute configurations (ACs) were determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) with quantum chemical calculations. Moreover, a single crystal of the S/S compound was obtained for X-ray diffraction analysis, and the crystal structure showed high consistency with the geometry, confirming the reliability of ACs obtained by ECD analyses and theoretical simulation. Furthermore, the effect of stereochemistry on the anti-tuberculosis activity was investigated. The MICs of the R/S- and S/S-isomers against Mycobacterium phlei 1180 are 9.6 and 32.1 μg·mL⁻¹, respectively. Finally, molecular docking was carried out to evaluate the inhibitory nature and binding mode differences between diastereoisomers.

Computer-Aided Drug Discovery Approaches against the Tropical Infectious Diseases Malaria, Tuberculosis, Trypanosomiasis, and Leishmaniasis

Despite the tremendous improvement in overall global health heralded by the adoption of the Millennium Declaration in the year 2000, tropical infections remain a major health problem in the developing world. Recent estimates indicate that the major tropical infectious diseases, namely, malaria, tuberculosis, trypanosomiasis, and leishmaniasis, account for more than 2.2 million deaths and a loss of approximately 85 million disability-adjusted life years annually. The crucial role of chemotherapy in curtailing the deleterious health and economic impacts of these infections has invigorated the search for new drugs against tropical infectious diseases. The research efforts have involved increased application of computational technologies in mainstream drug discovery programs at the hit identification, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization stages. This review highlights various computer-aided drug discovery approaches that have been utilized in efforts to identify novel antimalarial, antitubercular, antitrypanosomal, and antileishmanial agents. The focus is largely on developments over the past 5 years (2010-2014).

Synthesis of quinoline acetohydrazide-hydrazone derivatives evaluated as DNA gyrase inhibitors and potent antimicrobial agents

(E)-N′-(Substituted-benzylidene)-2-(7-fluoro-2-methoxyquinolin-8-yl)acetohydrazide-hydrazone derivatives9a–nrepresent a new series of antibacterial agents and DNA gyrase inhibitors.

Asymmetric Synthesis and Absolute Configuration Assignment of a New Type of Bedaquiline Analogue

Bedaquiline is the first FDA-approved new chemical entity to fight multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the last forty years. Our group replaced the quinoline ring with a naphthalene ring, leading to a new type of triarylbutanol skeleton. An asymmetric synthetic route was established for our bedaquiline analogues, and the goal of assigning their absolute configurations was achieved by comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra, and was confirmed by the combined use of circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy.

S. AK, Meena G, Sethi KP, Sharma R, Trivedi P, Khan SR, Verma AS, Singh S, Sharma S, Roy KK, Kant R, Krishnan MY, Singh BN, Sinha S, Chaturvedi V, Saxena AK, Dikshit DK. Synthesis and anti-tubercular activity of conformationally-constrained and bisquinoline analogs of TMC207

Conformationally-constrained and bisquinoline analogs of TMC207 as antitubercular agents.

Discovery of Tröger's base analogues as selective inhibitors against human breast cancer cell line: design, synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation

A library of structurally diverse Tröger's base analogues has been constructed via unusual amination of methylene bridge employing Vilsmeier-Haack conditions as well as by the incorporation of five and six membered heterocycles on the aromatic core of Tröger's base framework. The constructed structurally diverse frameworks were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against a panel of three human cancer lines A549 (lung adenocarcinoma), MDAMB-231 (breast) and SK-N-SH (neuroblastoma). From the activity profile obtained, a redesign of Tröger's base analogues led to the construction of more potent molecular entities. The study led to development of a series of compounds with MDAMB-231 cell line specific cytotoxicity. Of the 30 compounds synthesized and evaluated, 7 compounds were found to possess cytotoxicity that is equivalent or better than standard drug doxorubicin against MDAMB-231 cell line while only one compound was found to be active against SK-N-SH cell line.

Quinoline and quinolones: promising scaffolds for future antimycobacterial agents

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major health concern worldwide. The increasing incidences of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) necessitate the development of new anti-TB drugs acting via novel mode of action. The search of newer drugs for TB led to the identification of several quinoline-based antimycobacterial agents against both the drug-sensitive and MDR-TB. These agents have been designed by substituting quinoline scaffold with diverse chemical functionalities as well as by modifying quinoline/quinolone-based antibacterial drugs. Several of quinoline/quinolone derivatives displayed excellent antimycobacterial activity and were found free of cytotoxicity. This review highlights the critical aspects of design and structure-activity relationship of quinoline- and quinolone-based antimycobacterial agents.