Synthesis and antifungal activity of derivatives of 2- and 3-benzofurancarboxylic acids

J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2012 Nov;343(2):380-8. doi: 10.1124/jpet.112.196980. Epub 2012 Aug 14.

Abstract

We found that amiodarone has potent antifungal activity against a broad range of fungi, potentially defining a new class of antimycotics. Investigations into its molecular mechanisms showed amiodarone mobilized intracellular Ca2+, which is thought to be an important antifungal characteristic of its fungicidal activity. Amiodarone is a synthetic drug based on the benzofuran ring system, which is contained in numerous compounds that are both synthetic and isolated from natural sources with antifungal activity. To define the structural components responsible for antifungal activity, we synthesized a series of benzofuran derivatives and tested them for the inhibition of growth of two pathogenic fungi, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus, to find new compounds with antifungal activity. We found several derivatives that inhibited fungal growth, two of which had significant antifungal activity. We were surprised to find that calcium fluxes in cells treated with these derivatives did not correlate directly with their antifungal effects; however, the derivatives did augment the amiodarone-elicited calcium flux into the cytoplasm. We conclude that antifungal activity of these new compounds includes changes in cytoplasmic calcium concentration. Analyses of these benzofuran derivatives suggest that certain structural features are important for antifungal activity. Antifungal activity drastically increased on converting methyl 7-acetyl-6-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-benzofurancarboxylate (2b) into its dibromo derivative, methyl 7-acetyl-5-bromo-6-hydroxy-3-bromomethyl-2-benzofurancarboxylate (4).

MeSH terms

  • Aequorin
  • Amiodarone / pharmacology
  • Antifungal Agents / chemical synthesis*
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology*
  • Aspergillus fumigatus / drug effects
  • Benzofurans / chemical synthesis*
  • Benzofurans / pharmacology*
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Cryptococcus neoformans / drug effects
  • Cryptococcus neoformans / growth & development
  • Cytoplasm / drug effects
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Drug Design
  • Drug Synergism
  • Fungi / drug effects*
  • Fungi / growth & development
  • Fungi / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Indicators and Reagents
  • K562 Cells
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / drug effects
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / growth & development
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Benzofurans
  • Indicators and Reagents
  • Aequorin
  • Amiodarone
  • Calcium