Oxazolidinones as versatile scaffolds in medicinal chemistry

Oxazolidinone is a five-member heterocyclic ring with several biological applications in medicinal chemistry. Among the three possible isomers, 2-oxazolidinone is the most investigated in drug discovery. Linezolid was pioneered as the first approved drug containing an oxazolidinone ring as the pharmacophore group. Numerous analogues have been developed since its arrival on the market in 2000. Some have succeeded in reaching the advanced stages of clinical studies. However, most oxazolidinone derivatives reported in recent decades have not reached the initial stages of drug development, despite their promising pharmacological applications in a variety of therapeutic areas, including antibacterial, antituberculosis, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, neurologic, and metabolic diseases, among other areas. Therefore, this review article aims to compile the efforts of medicinal chemists who have explored this scaffold over the past decades and highlight the potential of the class for medicinal chemistry.

Recent advances in oxazolidinones as antituberculosis agents

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious and fatal disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and remains a serious public health threat; therefore, the development of new antitubercular agents is a priority for the World Health Organization's End TB strategy and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate TB. Oxazolidinones are a class of synthetic antibacterial agents with a distinct mode of action developed for the treatment of Gram-positive bacterial infections. Many oxazolidinones exhibit good activity against Mtb, and some are currently in clinical trials for multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB therapy. In this review, the mechanism of action, activity and toxicity of oxazolidinones and recent progress in the research and development of oxazolidinones as anti-TB agents are summarized.

1,2,3-Triazole-containing hybrids with potential antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as a classic reason for genuine skin and flimsy tissues diseases, is a worldwide general wellbeing risk and has already tormented humanity for a long history, creating a critical need for the development of new classes of antibacterials. 1,2,3-Triazole moiety, readily interact with diverse enzymes and receptors in organisms through weak bond interaction, is among the most common frameworks present in the bioactive molecules. 1,2,3-Triazole derivatives, especially 1,2,3-triazole-containing hybrids, possess broad-spectrum activity against a panel of clinically important bacteria including drug-resistant pathogens, so rational design of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives may open a door for the opportunities on the development of novel anti-MRSA agents. This review is an endeavour to highlight the current scenario of 1,2,3-triazole-containing hybrids with potential anti-MRSA activity, covering articles published between 2010 and 2020.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Pyrimidine-oxazolidin-2-arylimino Hybrid Molecules as Antibacterial Agents

Pyrimidine-1,3-oxazolidin-2-arylimino hybrids have been synthesized as a new class of antibacterial agents. The synthetic approach exploits a Cu(II)-catalyzed intramolecular halkoxyhalogenation of alkynyl ureas, followed by a Suzuki coupling reaction with 2,4-dimethoxypyrimidin-5-boronic acid. Biological screenings revealed that most of the compounds showed moderate to good activity against two Gram-positive (B. subtilis, S. aureus) and three Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa, S. typhi, K. pneumonia) pathogenic strains. A molecular docking study, performed in the crystal structure of 50S ribosomal unit of Haloarcula marismortui, indicated that pyrimidine-oxazolidin-2-arylimino hybrids 8c and 8h exhibited a high binding affinity (−9.65 and −10.74 kcal/mol), which was in agreement with their good antibacterial activity. The obtained results suggest that the combination of pyrimidine and oxazolidone moieties can be considered as a valid basis to develop new further modifications towards more efficacious antibacterial compounds.

The Current Status of O-Heterocycles: A Synthetic and Medicinal Overview

O-Heterocycles have been explored in the field of medicinal chemistry for a long time, but their significance has not been duly recognised and they are often shunned in favour of N-heterocycles. The design of bioactive molecules for nearly every pathophysiological condition is primarily focused on novel N-heterocycles. The main reasons for such bias include the ease of synthesis and possible mimicking of physiological molecules by N-heterocycles. But considering only this criterion rarely provides breakthrough molecules for a given disease condition, and instead the risks of toxicity or side effects are increased with such molecules. On the other hand, owing to improved synthetic feasibility, O-heterocycles have established themselves as equally potent lead molecules for a wide range of pathophysiological conditions. In the last decade there have been hundreds of reports validating the fact that equally potent molecules can be designed and developed by using O-heterocycles, and these are also expected to have comparably low toxicity. Even so, researchers tend to remain biased toward the use of N-heterocycles over O-heterocycles. Thus, this review provides a critical analysis of the synthesis and medicinal attributes of O-heterocycles, such as pyrones, oxazolones, furanones, oxetanes, oxazolidinones, and dioxolonones, and others, reported in the last five years, underlining the need for and the advantages guiding researchers toward them.

In Vitro Activities of LCB 01-0648, a Novel Oxazolidinone, against Gram-Positive Bacteria

Oxazolidinones are a novel class of synthetic antibacterial agents that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis. Here, we synthesized and tested a series of oxazolidinone compounds containing cyclic amidrazone. Among these compounds, we further investigated the antibacterial activities of LCB01-0648 against drug-susceptible or resistant Gram-positive cocci in comparison with those of six reference compounds. LCB01-0648 showed the most potent antimicrobial activities against clinically isolated Gram-positive bacteria. Against the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS) isolates, LCB01-0648 showed the lowest MIC₉₀s (0.5 mg/L) among the tested compounds. In addition, LCB01-0648 had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against the four linezolid-resistant S. aureus (LRSA) strains (range 2–4 mg/L). The results of the time–kill studies demonstrated that LCB01-0648 at a concentration 8× the (MIC) showed bactericidal activity against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus MSSA or MRSA, but showed a bacteriostatic effect against LRSA. These results indicate that LCB01-0648 could be a good antibacterial candidate against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-positive cocci.