Antitubercular and Antiparasitic 2-Nitroimidazopyrazinones with Improved Potency and Solubility

J Med Chem. 2020 Dec 24;63(24):15726-15751. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01372. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Abstract

Following the approval of delamanid and pretomanid as new drugs to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis, there is now a renewed interest in bicyclic nitroimidazole scaffolds as a source of therapeutics against infectious diseases. We recently described a nitroimidazopyrazinone bicyclic subclass with promising antitubercular and antiparasitic activity, prompting additional efforts to generate analogs with improved solubility and enhanced potency. The key pendant aryl substituent was modified by (i) introducing polar functionality to the methylene linker, (ii) replacing the terminal phenyl group with less lipophilic heterocycles, or (iii) generating extended biaryl side chains. Improved antitubercular and antitrypanosomal activity was observed with the biaryl side chains, with most analogs achieved 2- to 175-fold higher activity than the monoaryl parent compounds, with encouraging improvements in solubility when pyridyl groups were incorporated. This study has contributed to understanding the existing structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the nitroimidazopyrazinone scaffold against a panel of disease-causing organisms to support future lead optimization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / chemistry
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / pharmacology
  • Antitubercular Agents / chemistry*
  • Antitubercular Agents / metabolism
  • Antitubercular Agents / pharmacology
  • Blood Proteins / chemistry
  • Blood Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Design
  • Half-Life
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Microsomes / metabolism
  • Mycobacterium / drug effects
  • Nitroimidazoles / chemistry*
  • Protein Binding
  • Pyrazines / chemistry*
  • Pyrazines / metabolism
  • Pyrazines / pharmacology
  • Solubility
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Trypanosoma brucei brucei / drug effects

Substances

  • Antiprotozoal Agents
  • Antitubercular Agents
  • Blood Proteins
  • Nitroimidazoles
  • Pyrazines