Prothionamide (PRT) is used as an
alternative to some
first-line
drugs in the treatment of multi drug-resistant tuberculosis. Suffering
from its extremely low water solubility and physiological constraints,
the clinical use of PRT is restricted. The crystal engineering technique
has been proven to be a good way to improve its solubility, especially
for salt formation. In this work, six colorful PRT salts, i.e., maleate, besylate, tosylate, phthalate, edisylate,
and naphthalene disulfonate, were obtained for the first time and
identified with solid-state characterization methods. The Hirshfeld
surface and independent gradient model based on Hirshfeld partition
calculation were used to study the weak interactions in crystal constitutions.
With different counterions added into the unit cell and bonded with
PRT cations through N+–H···O– hydrogen interactions, tremendous enhancement in water
solubility and dissolution behavior was observed in all salts when
compared with PRT. Solvation free energy and lattice energy were calculated
to rationalize the increase in solubility values. Different colors
exhibited in PRT salts were studied in detail with the molecular orbital
caculation and visualization technique. The exploration in the landscape
of PRT salt forms with increased water solubility and dissolution
performance was highly promising for application in the drug-resistant
tuberculosis treatment.