6-Halopyridylmethylidene Penicillin-Based Sulfones Efficiently Inactivate the Natural Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to β-Lactam Antibiotics

J Med Chem. 2021 May 13;64(9):6310-6328. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00369. Epub 2021 Apr 29.

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a major cause of nosocomial infections, is considered a paradigm of antimicrobial resistance, largely due to hyperproduction of chromosomal cephalosporinase AmpC. Here, we explore the ability of 6-pyridylmethylidene penicillin-based sulfones 1-3 to inactivate the AmpC β-lactamase and thus rescue the activity of the antipseudomonal ceftazidime. These compounds increased the susceptibility to ceftazidime in a collection of clinical isolates and PAO1 mutant strains with different ampC expression levels and also improved the inhibition kinetics relative to avibactam, displaying a slow deacylation rate and involving the formation of an indolizine adduct. Bromide 2 was the inhibitor with the lowest KI (15.6 nM) and the highest inhibitory efficiency (kinact/KI). Computational studies using diverse AmpC enzymes revealed that the aromatic moiety in 1-3 targets a tunnel-like site adjacent to the catalytic serine and induces the folding of the H10 helix, indicating the potential value of this not-always-evident pocket in drug design.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Bacterial Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Drug Design
  • Immunity, Innate / drug effects*
  • Kinetics
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Penicillins / chemistry*
  • Penicillins / pharmacology*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / drug effects*
  • Sulfones / chemistry*
  • beta-Lactam Resistance / drug effects*
  • beta-Lactamases

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Penicillins
  • Sulfones
  • AmpC beta-lactamases
  • beta-Lactamases