Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide into 21st century. The mortality and spread of this disease has further been aggravated because of synergy of this disease with HIV. A number of anti-TB drugs are ineffective against this disease because of development of resistance strains. Internationally efforts are being made to develop new anti-tubercular agents. A number of drug targets from cell wall biosynthesis, nucleic acid biosynthesis, and many other biosynthetic pathways are being unraveled throughout the world and are being utilized for drug development. In this review, socioeconomic problems in developing countries, efforts to control this disease in different individuals, the targets (known already and newly discovered), existing anti-tubercular agents including natural products and lead molecules, and the future prospects to develop new anti-TB agents are described.

New and better drugs are needed for tuberculosis (TB), particularly for the multi-drug resistant (MDR) disease. However, the highly infectious nature of MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis restricts its use for large scale screening of probable drug candidates. We have evaluated the potential of a screen based on a 'fast grower' mycobacterium to shortlist compounds which could be active against MDR M. tuberculosis. Sensitivity profiles of M. smegmatis, M. phlei and M. fortuitum as well as MDR clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were determined against anti-TB drugs isoniazid and rifampicin. Among the three fast growers, M. smegmatis was found to display a profile similar to MDR M. tuberculosis. Subsequently we evaluated the performance of M. smegmatis as a 'surrogate' screen for 120 compounds which were synthesized for anti-TB activity. Fifty of these molecules were active against M. tuberculosis H(37)Rv at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) cutoff of

DNA ligases are important enzymes which catalyze the joining of nicks between adjacent bases of double-stranded DNA. NAD+-dependent DNA ligases (LigA) are essential in bacteria and are absent in humans. They have therefore been identified as novel, validated and attractive drug targets. Using virtual screening against an in-house database of compounds and our recently determined crystal structure of the NAD+ binding domain of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis LigA, we have identified N1, Nn-bis-(5-deoxy-α-d-xylofuranosylated) diamines as a novel class of inhibitors for this enzyme. Assays involving M.tuberculosis LigA, T4 ligase and human DNA ligase I show that these compounds specifically inhibit LigA from M.tuberculosis. In vitro kinetic and inhibition assays demonstrate that the compounds compete with NAD+ for binding and inhibit enzyme activity with IC50 values in the µM range. Docking studies rationalize the observed specificities and show that among several glycofuranosylated diamines, bis xylofuranosylated diamines with aminoalkyl and 1, 3-phenylene carbamoyl spacers mimic the binding modes of NAD+ with the enzyme. Assays involving LigA-deficient bacterial strains show that in vivo inhibition of ligase by the compounds causes the observed antibacterial activities. They also demonstrate that the compounds exhibit in vivo specificity for LigA over ATP-dependent ligase. This class of inhibitors holds out the promise of rational development of new anti-tubercular agents.

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DNA ligases (EC.6.5.1.1) are key enzymes that catalyze the formation of phosphodiester bonds at single stranded or double stranded breaks between adjacent 5' phosphoryl and 3' hydroxyl groups of DNA. These enzymes are important for survival because they are involved in major cellular processes like DNA replication/repair and recombination. DNA ligases can be classified into two groups on the basis of their cofactor specificities. NAD(+)-dependent DNA ligases are present in bacteria, some entomopox viruses and mimi virus while ATP-dependent DNA ligases are ubiquitous. The former have recently been drawing a lot of attention as novel targets for antibiotics to overcome current drug resistance issues. Currently a diverse range of inhibitors have been identified. There are several issues to be addressed in the quest for optimized inhibitors of the enzyme. In the first part of the review we summarize current structural work on these enzymes. Subsequently we describe the currently available classes of inhibitors. We also address modalities to improve the specificity and potencies of new inhibitors identified using protein structure based rational approaches. In conclusion, NAD(+)-dependent ligases show great promise and represent a novel drug target whose time has come.

Biochemistry Z 0250 Fighting Tuberculosis: An Old Disease with New Challenges -[332 refs.]. -(TRIPATHI, R. P.; TEWARI, N.; DWIVEDI, N.; TIWARI, V. K.; Med. Res. Rev. 25 (2005) 1, 93-131; Process Dev. Div., Cent. Drug Res. Inst., Lucknow 226 001, India; Eng.) -Lindner 11-291

The search for new and efficient ways to synthesize optically pure compounds is an active area of research in organic synthesis. Asymmetric catalysis provides a practical, cost-effective, and efficient method to create a variety of complex natural products containing multiple stereocenters. In recent years, chemists have become more interested in using small organic molecules to catalyze organic reactions. As a result, organocatalysis has emerged both as a promising strategy and as an alternative to catalysis with expensive proteins or toxic metals. One of the most successful and widely studied secondary amine-based organocatalysts is proline. This small molecule can catalyze numerous reactions such as the aldol, Mannich, Michael addition, Robinson annulation, Diels-Alder, α-functionalization, α-amination, and α-aminoxylation reactions. Catalytic and enantioselective α-oxygenation of carbonyl compounds is an important reaction to access a variety of useful building blocks for bioactive molecules. Proline catalyzed α-aminoxylation using nitrosobenzene as oxygen source, followed by in situ reduction, gives enantiomerically pure 1,2-diol. This molecule can then undergo a variety of organic reactions. In addition, proline organocatalysis provides access to an assortment of biologically active natural products including mevinoline (a cholesterol lowering drug), tetrahydrolipstatin (an antiobesity drug), R(+)-α-lipoic acid, and bovidic acid. In this Account, we present an iterative organocatalytic approach to synthesize both syn- and anti-1,3-polyols, both enantio- and stereoselectively. This method is primarily based on proline-catalyzed sequential α-aminoxylation and Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) olefination of aldehyde to give a γ-hydroxy ester. In addition, we briefly illustrate the broad application of our recently developed strategy for 1,3-polyols, which serve as valuable, enantiopure building blocks for polyketides and other structurally diverse and complex natural products. Other research groups have also applied similar strategies to prepare such bioactive molecules as littoralisone, brasoside and (+)-cytotrienin A. Among the various synthetic approaches reported for 1,3-polyols, our organocatalytic iterative approach appears to be very promising and robust. This method combines the merit of organocatalytic reaction with an easy access to both enantiomerically pure forms of proline, mild reaction conditions, and tolerance to both air and moisture. In this Account, we present the latest applications of organocatalysis and how organic chemists can use this new tool for the total synthesis of complex natural products.

Malaria caused by Plasmodium parasites kills approximately 1-3 million people and causes disease in 300-500 million people annually throughout the world. The current approaches to curtail this disease include vector control, vaccination, immunotherapy and chemotherapy. The vector control is achieved by reducing vector density, interrupting their life cycle, and creating a barrier between the human host and mosquitoes. A number of vaccine candidates are being clinically tried and R&D effort in this direction is coming in a big way. Currently there are only limited safe drugs for the treatment of this disease, however, reports of emerging resistance against existing drugs warrant the introduction of new drugs, which are unlikely to come from pharmaceutical industries because of limited commercial opportunities. One of the most important current approaches to develop new drugs involves the synthesis of chemical libraries and evaluate them against most validated biochemical targets of malarial parasite. Although a number of such targets in antimalarial drug development are known today, yet only validated and selective biochemical targets including mitochondrial transport, glycolic pathway, folate pathway, proteases and heme metabolism, apicoplast metabolism, glycophospatidyl inositol, lipid metabolism (glycerophospholipids), peptidyl deformylase and oxidative stress in parasite-infected erythrocytes have been discussed here. The well known antimalarial drugs and different drug combinations for the treatment of malaria are also briefly reviewed. A survey of the recently discovered new molecules active against malaria has also been narrated. Lastly, the future of malaria chemotherapy and new directions emerging from literature has been elucidated.