The
nonproton pumping type II NADH dehydrogenase in Mycobacterium
tuberculosis is essential for meeting
the energy needs in terms of ATP under normal aerobic and stressful
hypoxic environmental states. Type II NADH dehydrogenase conduits
electrons into the electron transport chain in Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, which results in ATP synthesis. Therefore,
the inhibition of NDH-2 ensures the abolishment of the entire ATP
synthesis machinery. Also, type II NADH dehydrogenase is absent in
the mammalian genome, thus making it a potential target for antituberculosis
drug discovery. Herein, we have screened a commercially available
library of drug-like molecules and have identified a hit having a
benzimidazole core moiety (6, H37Rv mc26230;
minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 16 μg/mL and ATP IC50 = 0.23 μg/mL) interfering with the oxidative phosphorylation
pathway. Extensive medicinal chemistry optimization resulted in analogue 8, with MIC = 4 μg/mL and ATP IC50 = 0.05
μg/mL against the H37Rv mc26230 strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Compounds 6 and 8 were found to be active against mono- and multidrug-resistant
mycobacterium strains and demonstrated a bactericidal response. The
Peredox-mCherry experiment and identification of single-nucleotide
polymorphisms in mutants of CBR-5992 (a known type II
NADH dehydrogenase inhibitor) were used to confirm the molecules as
inhibitors of the type II NADH dehydrogenase enzyme. The safety index
>10 for the test active molecules revealed the safety of test molecules.