Chemical synthesis and molecular modeling of novel substituted N-1,3-benzoxazol-2yl benzene sulfonamides as inhibitors of inhA enzyme and Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major contagious diseases with high mortality which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) pathogen. Due to the existing antibiotic resistance (MDR-TB) to tuberculosis, the demand for the development of new potential chemotherapy drugs is increasing. Herein, we report synthesis of two novel benzoxazole-based series, namely 2-phenyl benzoxazole sulfonamide and 2-piperidine-benzoxazole sulfonamides. These compounds were evaluated for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain, using the microplate alamarBlue assay. Molecular docking studies were carried out to comprehend the binding mode of the compounds. It is evident from molecular docking studies and minimum inhibitory concentration assay (MIC) that 2-phenyl benzoxazole sulfonamide scaffold has a greater potential of antitubercular activity possibly by ENR inhibition (inhA inhibitors). In silico cytotoxicity studies using CLC-Pred tool database suggested that both the series were relatively safe.