Work

Bactericidal Effect of Synthetic Phenylalkylamides Inspired by Gibbilimbol B Against Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Increasing multidrug resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae poses a serious and escalating public health crisis. The World Health Organization has classified N. gonorrhoeae as a high-priority pathogen for developing new antimicrobials. Natural products provide a promising avenue for antimicrobial discovery, serving as direct therapeutic agents or prototypes for novel drug development. Among these, gibbilimbol B, a compound isolated from Piper malacophyllum, is particularly attractive due to its biological potential and simple structure. In this study, eight synthetic phenylalkylamides (1–8) inspired by gibbilimbol B were synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial activity against N. gonorrhoeae. The in vitro bacterial assays revealed that these compounds exhibit notable antibacterial activity, including against resistant strains selected from the CDC/FDA antimicrobial panel (strains AR-173, AR-174, AR-187, and AR-200). All synthesized compounds demonstrated superior efficacy in killing N. gonorrhoeae compared to gibbilimbol B. Notably, compound 8 [(E)-4-chloro-N-(oct-4-en-1-yl)benzamide] showed an MBC50 of 6.25 µM, representing a four-fold improvement in bactericidal activity over the natural compound. This study represents the first exploration of gibbilimbol analogs for antibacterial applications, highlighting the novelty of the work and paving the way for the development of new antibacterial agents.

Source: Molecules

DOI: 10.3390/molecules30112406

Authors: Larissa V. F. Oliveira, Andre G. Tempone, Myron Christodoulides, Joao Henrique G. Lago

Institutions: University of Southampton, Universidade Federal do ABC, Instituto Butantan

Language: English

Topic: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

Subfield: Organic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258