Antiprotozoal Nitazoxanide Derivatives: Synthesis, Bioassays and QSAR Study Combined with Docking for Mechanistic Insight

Curr Comput Aided Drug Des. 2015;11(1):21-31. doi: 10.2174/1573409911666150414145937.

Abstract

In view of the serious health problems concerning infectious diseases in heavily populated areas, we followed the strategy of lead compound diversification to evaluate the near-by chemical space for new organic compounds. To this end, twenty derivatives of nitazoxanide (NTZ) were synthesized and tested for activity against Entamoeba histolytica parasites. To ensure drug-likeliness and activity relatedness of the new compounds, the synthetic work was assisted by a quantitative structure-activity relationships study (QSAR). Many of the inherent downsides - well-known to QSAR practitioners - we circumvented thanks to workarounds which we proposed in prior QSAR publication. To gain further mechanistic insight on a molecular level, ligand-enzyme docking simulations were carried out since NTZ is known to inhibit the protozoal pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) enzyme as its biomolecular target.

MeSH terms

  • Antiprotozoal Agents / chemistry*
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / pharmacology*
  • Entamoeba histolytica / drug effects*
  • Entamoeba histolytica / enzymology*
  • Entamoebiasis / drug therapy
  • Entamoebiasis / parasitology
  • Humans
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Nitro Compounds
  • Pyruvate Synthase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Pyruvate Synthase / metabolism
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Thiazoles / chemistry*
  • Thiazoles / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antiprotozoal Agents
  • Nitro Compounds
  • Thiazoles
  • Pyruvate Synthase
  • nitazoxanide