New antibiotics with either a novel mode-of-action (MoA) or novel mode-of-inhibition (MoI) are urgently needed to overcome the threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). The present study profiles new spiropyrimidinetriones (SPTs), DNA gyrase inhibitors having activity against drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of TB. While the clinical candidate zoliflodacin has progressed to Phase 3 trials for the treatment of gonorrhea, compounds herein demonstrated higher inhibitory potency against Mtb DNA gyrase (e.g., Compound 42 with an IC50 = 2.0) and lower Mtb MICs (0.49 µM for 42). Notably, 42 and analogues showed selective Mtb activity relative to representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. DNA gyrase inhibition was shown to involve stabilization of double-cleaved DNA while on-target activity was supported by hypersensitivity against a gyrA hypomorph. Finally, a docking model for SPTs with Mtb DNA gyrase was developed and a structural hypothesis was built for SAR expansion.

Angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) is a zinc metalloprotease consisting of two catalytic domains (N- and C-). Most clinical ACE inhibitor(s) (ACEi) have been shown to inhibit both domains nonselectively, resulting in adverse effects such as cough and angioedema. Selectively inhibiting the individual domains is likely to reduce these effects and potentially treat fibrosis in addition to hypertension. ACEi from the GVK Biosciences database were inspected for possible N-domain selective binding patterns. From this set, a diprolyl chemical series was modeled using docking simulations. The series was expanded based on key target interactions involving residues known to impart N-domain selectivity. In total, seven diprolyl compounds were synthesized and tested for N-domain selective ACE inhibition. One compound with an aspartic acid in the P position (compound 16) displayed potent inhibition (K = 11.45 nM) and was 84-fold more selective toward the N-domain. A high-resolution crystal structure of compound 16 in complex with the N-domain revealed the molecular basis for the observed selectivity.

Plasmodium falciparum phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PfPI4K) has emerged as a promising new drug target for novel antimalarial therapeutics. In the absence of a reliable high-resolution three-dimensional structure, a homology model of PfPI4K was built as a tool for structure-based drug design. This homology model has been validated against three distinct chemical series of potent inhibitors using docking and energy minimizations to elucidate the interactions crucial for PI4K inhibition and potent antiplasmodium activity. Despite its potential as an antimalarial target, the similarity between PfPI4K and structurally related human kinases poses a risk for human off-target kinase activity and associated toxicity. Comparative docking between PfPI4K and human phosphoinositide kinases (PIKs) presents compelling evidence for the origins of selectivity. This in-depth analysis of the PfPI4K homology model, the binding modes of the inhibitors, and the interactions responsible for selectivity over human kinases provides a powerful template for future optimization of Plasmodium PI4K inhibitors.

Phenotypic whole cell high-throughput screening of a ∼150,000 diverse set of compounds against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in cholesterol-containing media identified 1,3-diarylpyrazolyl-acylsulfonamide 1 as a moderately active hit. Structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies demonstrated a clear scope to improve whole cell potency to MIC values of <0.5 μM, and a plausible pharmacophore model was developed to describe the chemical space of active compounds. Compounds are bactericidal in vitro against replicating Mtb and retained activity against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. Initial biology triage assays indicated cell wall biosynthesis as a plausible mode-of-action for the series. However, no cross-resistance with known cell wall targets such as MmpL3, DprE1, InhA, and EthA was detected, suggesting a potentially novel mode-of-action or inhibition. The in vitro and in vivo drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics profiles of several active compounds from the series were established leading to the identification of a compound for in vivo efficacy proof-of-concept studies.

Recent studies on 3,6-diphenylated imidazopyridazines have demonstrated impressive in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy in mouse models of malaria infection. Herein, we report the synthesis and antiplasmodium evaluation of a new series of amidated analogues and demonstrate that these compounds potently inhibit Plasmodium phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase (PI4K) type IIIβ while moderately inhibiting cyclic guanidine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity in vitro. Using in silico docking, we predict key binding interactions for these analogues within the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding site of PI4K and PKG, paving the way for structure-based optimization of imidazopyridazines targeting both Plasmodium PI4K and PKG. While several derivatives showed low nanomolar antiplasmodium activity (IC 50 < 100 nM), some compounds, including piperazine analogue 28, resulted in strong dual PI4K and PKG inhibition. The compounds also demonstrated transmission-blocking potential, evident from their potent inhibition of earlyand late-stage gametocytes. Finally, the current compounds generally showed improved aqueous solubility and reduced hERG (human ether-a-go-go-related gene) channel inhibition.