Since their initial isolation from the marine alga Delisea pulchra, bromofuranones have been investigated as potential inhibitors of quorum sensing (QS) in various bacterial strains. QS is an important mechanism by which bacteria co-ordinate their molecular response to the environment. QS is intrinsically linked to bacterial antibiotic resistance. Inspired by nature, chemists have developed a wide variety of synthetic analogs in an effort to elucidate the structure–activity relationships of these compounds, and to ultimately develop novel antimicrobial agents. In this work, we describe advances in this field while paying particular attention to apparent structure–activity relationships. This review is organized according to the main ring systems under investigation, namely furanones, dihydropyrrolones and thiophenones.

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Aim: Vibrio harveyi is a Gram-negative marine bacterium that is a model system in the study of quorum sensing (QS). V. harveyi uses multichannel QS, mediated by three signaling molecules. The aim of this study was to synthesize and screen a diverse series of furanones for their potential to inhibit V. harveyi quorum sensing. Materials & methods: A library of halogenated furanones was prepared and derivatized using standard Pd-mediated coupling reactions and subsequently evaluated for their effects on V. harveyi bioluminescence. Results & conclusion: Several furanones inhibited QS-regulated bioluminescence, with gem-dichlorofuranone and tribromofuranone compounds proving especially effective. Importantly, a number of compounds were effective inhibitors of V. harveyi bioluminescence but did not have an impact on bacterial growth.

Background: Halogenated furanones have been found to act as potent quorum sensing inhibitors in several bacterial species. It is believed that dihalofuranones covalently bind to the LuxS enzyme, which is necessary for autoinducer-2 synthesis. In addition to their antimicrobial activity, halogenated furanones also possess anti-cancer, antioxidant, and depigmentation properties. However, traditional routes to these compounds are low-yielding and capricious. Objective: This study aimed at investigating higher-yielding preparations of gem-dihalofuranones and comparing their reactivity using Suzuki chemistry. Methods: Ramirez dibromoolefination of maleic anhydride was optimised using a variety of conditions. A similar route was investigated for the preparation of bromofluorofuranones and dichlorofuranones. The conversion of a dichlorofuranone to the corresponding iodofuranone derivatives using microwave-assisted Finkelstein chemistry was also studied. Lastly, the reactivity of the different dihalofuranones was compared by Pd-mediated coupling with phenylboronic acid. Results: A higher-yielding, concise synthesis of dibromofuranones was developed using a modified Ramirez reaction. Additionally, a telescoped preparation of dichlorofuranone proved higher yielding than previous approaches. Bromine- and iodine-substituted dihalofuranones proved more reactive than their chlorine-substituted analogues. Conclusion: Higher yielding routes to bromine-, fluorine-, chlorine- and iodine-containing dihalofuranones were successfully developed. Suzuki couplings of gem-dihalofuranones were found to proceed with high stereoselectivity.