Ricerc@Sapienza

BM635 is the hit compound of a promising anti-TB compound class. Herein we report systematic variations
around the central pyrrole core of BM635 and we describe the design, synthesis, biological
evaluation, pharmacokinetic analysis, as well as in vivo TB mouse efficacy studies of novel BM635 analogues
that show improved physicochemical properties. This hit-to-lead campaign led to the identification
of a new analogue, 4-((1-isopropyl-5-(4-isopropylphenyl)-2-methyl-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)methyl)

In this study, a series of 49 five-membered heterocyclic compounds containing either a pyridine- or a pyrrole-type nitrogen were synthesized and tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Among them, only the 1,3,5-trisubstituted pyrazoles 5−49 exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration values in the low micromolar range, and some also exhibited an improved physicochemical profile without cytotoxic effects.

The biosynthetic pathways of amino acids are attractive targets for drug development against pathogens with an intracellular behavior like M. tuberculosis (Mtb). Indeed, while in the macrophages Mtb has restricted access to amino acids such as tryptophan (Trp). Auxotrophic Mtb strains, with mutations in the Trp biosynthetic pathway, showed reduced intracellular survival in cultured human and murine macrophages and failed to cause the disease in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice. Herein we present recent efforts in the discovery of Trp biosynthesis inhibitors.