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DSP Valley scientific magazinestatus: Published onlin

Benzotriazole-Mediated Synthesis of Aza-peptides: En Route to an Aza-Leuenkephalin Analogue

Novel <i>N</i>-(<i>N</i>-Pg-azadipeptidoyl)­benzotriazoles <b>20a</b>–<b>e</b> couple efficiently with α-amino acids <b>21a</b>–<b>e</b>, dipeptides <b>22a</b>–<b>c</b>, aminoxyacetic acid <b>23a</b>, depsidipeptide <b>23b</b>, and α-hydroxy-β-phenylpropionic acid <b>27</b> yielding, respectively, azatripeptides <b>24a</b>–<b>g</b>, azatetrapeptides <b>25a</b>,<b>b</b>, a hybrid azatripeptide with an oxyamide bond <b>26a</b>, a hybrid azatetrapeptide with an ester bond <b>26b</b>, and a hybrid azatripeptide with an ester bond <b>28</b>. A new protocol for the synthesis of <i>N</i>-Pg-azatripeptides <b>33a</b>,<b>b</b> and <b>35a</b>,<b>b</b>, each containing a natural amino acid at the <i>N</i>-terminus, avoids the low coupling rates of the aza-amino acid residue and enables the solution-phase synthesis of an azaphenylalanine analogue of Leu-enkephalin <b>40</b>

A dual-therapy approach for the treatment of biofilm-mediated Salmonella gallbladder carriage.

Asymptomatic carriage of Salmonella Typhi continues to facilitate the transmission of typhoid fever, resulting in 14 million new infections and 136,000 fatalities each year. Asymptomatic chronic carriage of S. Typhi is facilitated by the formation of biofilms on gallstones that protect the bacteria from environmental insults and immune system clearance. Here, we identified two unique small molecules capable of both inhibiting Salmonella biofilm growth and disrupting pre-formed biofilm structures without affecting bacterial viability. In a mouse model of chronic gallbladder Salmonella carriage, treatment with either compound reduced bacterial burden in the gallbladder by 1-2 logs resulting in bacterial dissemination to peripheral organs that was associated with increased mortality. Co-administration of either compound with ciprofloxacin not only enhanced compound efficacy in the gallbladder by a further 1-1.5 logs for a total of 3-4.5 log reduction, but also prevented bacterial dissemination to peripheral organs. These data suggest a dual-therapy approach targeting both biofilm and planktonic populations can be further developed as a safe and efficient treatment of biofilm-mediated chronic S. Typhi infections