Discovery of novel N-phenyl 1,4-dihydropyridines with a dual mode of antimycobacterial activity.

There is an urgent need for novel drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) due to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains against first-line and second-line therapeutics. We developed novel N-phenyl 1,4-dihydropyridines as potential antituberculotic agents. The observed activity depends on the substitution patterns of the aromatic residues. N-unsubstituted 1,4-dihydropyridines are known inhibitors of the cancer-relevant transmembrane efflux pump ABCB1. Based on the similarity of ABCB1 amino acids sequences relevant to 1,4-dihydropyridine binding and the MTb efflux pump Rv0194, we determined ABCB1-inhibitory properties of our compounds in a cell line model. We identified one compound, which substantially increased the activity of two antituberculotic drugs which are substrates of ABCB1. The data indicate that our N-phenyl 1,4-dihydropyridines represent a novel compound class which improves the efficacy of anti-TB drugs by interfering with transmembrane efflux pumps in Mtb.
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