NDH-2 is an essential respiratory enzyme in
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which plays an important role in the physiology of Mtb. Herein, we present a target-based effort to identify a new structural class of inhibitors for NDH-2. High-throughput screening of the AstraZeneca corporate collection resulted in the identification of quinolinyl pyrimidines as the most promising class of NDH-2 inhibitors. Structure鈥揳ctivity relationship studies showed improved enzyme inhibition (IC
50) against the NDH-2 target, which in turn translated into cellular activity against Mtb. Thus, the compounds in this class show a good correlation between enzyme inhibition and cellular potency. Furthermore, early ADME profiling of the best compounds showed promising results and highlighted the quinolinyl pyrimidine class as a potential lead for further development.
Keywords:
antituberculosis; respiratory chain; NDH-2; quinolinyl pyrimidines
