Synergistic activity of nitroimidazoleoxazolidinone conjugates against anaerobic bacteria

The introductions of the bicyclic 4nitroimidazole and the oxazolidinone classes of antimicrobial agents represented the most significant advancements in the infectious disease area during the past two decades. Pretomanid, a bicyclic 4nitroimidazole, and linezolid, an oxazolidinone, are also part of a combination regimen approved recently by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of pulmonary, extensively drug resistant (XDR), treatmentintolerant or nonresponsive multidrugresistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). To identify new antimicrobial agents with reduced propensity for the development of resistance, a series of dualacting nitroimidazoleoxazolidinone conjugates were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. Compounds in this conjugate series have shown synergistic activity against a panel of anaerobic bacteria, including those responsible for serious bacterial infections.