Q1 · MEDICINE
Article
Author: Rooney, Michael ; Tsai, Andy S. ; Bhagunde, Pratik R. ; Sha, Li ; Manjunatha, M. R. ; Quiroga, Olga ; Hatoum-Mokdad, Holia ; Zhao, Shannon X. ; Manyak, Erika L. ; Tan, Beesan ; Harris, Jennifer J. ; Murphy-Benenato, Kerry E. ; Chen, April ; Durand-Reville, Thomas F. ; Uria-Nickelsen, Maria ; Sylvester, Mark ; Ehmann, David E. ; Kim, Aryun ; Shapiro, Adam B. ; Zambrowski, Mark ; Jahic, Haris ; Galullo, Vincent ; Wu, Ye ; Mueller, John ; Patey, Sara ; Davis, Hajnalka E.
To identify new agents for the treatment of multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we focused on siderophore-conjugated monocarbams. This class of monocyclic β-lactams are stable to metallo-β-lactamases and have excellent P. aeruginosa activities due to their ability to exploit the iron uptake machinery of Gram-negative bacteria. Our medicinal chemistry plan focused on identifying a molecule with optimal potency and physical properties and activity for in vivo efficacy. Modifications to the monocarbam linker, siderophore, and oxime portion of the molecules were examined. Through these efforts, a series of pyrrolidinone-based monocarbams with good P. aeruginosa cellular activity (P. aeruginosa MIC90 = 2 μg/mL), free fraction levels (>20% free), and hydrolytic stability (t1/2 ≥ 100 h) were identified. To differentiate the lead compounds and enable prioritization for in vivo studies, we applied a semi-mechanistic pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model to enable prediction of in vivo efficacy from in vitro data.