<i>In silico</i> design, synthesis and antitubercular activity of novel 2-acylhydrazono-5-arylmethylene-4-thiazolidinones as enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase inhibitors

Mycobacteria regulate the synthesis of mycolic acid through the fatty acid synthase system type 1 (FAS I) and the fatty acid synthase system type-2 (FAS-II). Because mammalian cells exclusively utilize the FAS-I enzyme system for fatty acid production, targeting the FAS-II enzyme system could serve as a specific approach for developing selective antimycobacterial drugs. Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase enzyme (MtInhA), part of the FAS-II enzyme system, contains the NADH cofactor in its active site and reduces the intermediate. Molecular docking studies were performed on an in-house database (similar to 2200 compounds). For this study, five different crystal structures of MtInhA (PDB Code: 4TZK, 4BQP, 4D0S, 4BGE, 4BII) were used due to rotamer difference, mutation and the presence of cofactors. Molecular dynamics simulations (250 ns) were performed for the novel 2-acylhydrazono-5-arylmethylene-4-thiazolidinones derivatives selected by molecular docking studies. Twenty-three compounds selected by in silico methods were synthesized. Antitubercular activity and MtInhA enzyme inhibition studies were performed for compounds whose structures were elucidated by IR,H-1-NMR,C-13-NMR, HSQC, HMBC, MS and elemental analysis. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma