Akash Basak

Benzotriazole-Mediated Synthesis of Aza-peptides: En Route to an Aza-Leuenkephalin Analogue

Novel N-(N-Pg-azadipeptidoyl)benzotriazoles 20a-e couple efficiently with α-amino acids 21a-e, dipeptides 22a-c, aminoxyacetic acid 23a, depsidipeptide 23b, and α-hydroxy-β-phenylpropionic acid 27 yielding, respectively, azatripeptides 24a-g, azatetrapeptides 25a,b, a hybrid azatripeptide with an oxyamide bond 26a, a hybrid azatetrapeptide with an ester bond 26b, and a hybrid azatripeptide with an ester bond 28. A new protocol for the synthesis of N-Pg-azatripeptides 33a,b and 35a,b, each containing a natural amino acid at the N-terminus, avoids the low coupling rates of the aza-amino acid residue and enables the solution-phase synthesis of an azaphenylalanine analogue of Leu-enkephalin 40.

Synthetically Tuning the 2-Position of Halogenated Quinolines: Optimizing Antibacterial and Biofilm Eradication Activities via Alkylation and Reductive Amination Pathways

Agents capable of eradicating bacterial biofilms are of great importance to human health as biofilm-associated infections are tolerant to our current antibiotic therapies. We have recently discovered that halogenated quinoline (HQ) small molecules are: 1) capable of eradicating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) biofilms, and 2) synthetic tuning of the 2-position of the HQ scaffold has a significant impact on antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. Here, we report the chemical synthesis and biological evaluation of 39 HQ analogues that have a high degree of structural diversity at the 2-position. We identified diverse analogues that are alkylated and aminated at the 2-position of the HQ scaffold and demonstrate potent antibacterial (MIC≤0.39 μm) and biofilm eradication (MBEC 1.0-93.8 μm) activities against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecium strains while demonstrating <5 % haemolysis activity against human red blood cells (RBCs) at 200 μm. In addition, these HQs demonstrated low cytotoxicity against HeLa cells. Halogenated quinolines are a promising class of antibiofilm agents against Gram-positive pathogens that could lead to useful treatments against persistent bacterial infections.

Identification of N-Arylated NH125 Analogues as Rapid Eradicating Agents against MRSA Persister Cells and Potent Biofilm Killers of Gram-Positive Pathogens

Bacterial biofilms housing dormant persister cells are innately tolerant to antibiotics and disinfectants, yet several membrane‐active agents are known to eradicate tolerant bacterial cells. NH125, a membrane‐active persister killer and starting point for development, led to the identification of two N‐arylated analogues (1 and 2) that displayed improved biofilm eradication potencies compared to the parent compound and rapid persister‐cell‐killing activities in stationary cultures of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We found 1 and 2 to be superior to other membrane‐active agents in biofilm eradication assays, with 1 demonstrating minimum biofilm eradication concentrations (MBEC) of 23.5, 11.7, and 2.35 μm against MRSA, methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), and vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) biofilms, respectively. We tested our panel of membrane‐active agents against MRSA stationary cultures and found 1 to rapidly eradicate MRSA stationary cells by 4 log units (99.99 %) in 30 min. The potent biofilm eradication and rapid persister‐cell‐killing activities exhibited by N‐arylated NH125 analogues could have significant impact in addressing biofilm‐associated problems.

In vitro antifungal and antibiofilm activities of halogenated quinoline analogues against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans

With the increasing prevalence of fungal infections coupled with emerging drug resistance, there is an urgent need for new and effective antifungal agents. Here we report the antifungal activities of 19 diverse halogenated quinoline (HQ) small molecules against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Four HQ analogues inhibited C. albicans growth with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 100 nM, whilst 16 analogues effectively inhibited C. neoformans at MICs of 50-780 nM. Remarkably, two HQ analogues eradicated mature C. albicans and C. neoformans biofilms [minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) = 6.25-62.5 µM]. Several active HQs were found to penetrate into fungal cells, whilst one inactive analogue was unable to, suggesting that HQs elicit their antifungal activities through an intracellular mode of action. HQs are a promising class of small molecules that may be useful in future antifungal treatments.