Discovery of (3<i>S</i>)-Amino-(4<i>R</i>)-ethylpiperidinyl Quinolones as Potent Antibacterial Agents with a Broad Spectrum of Activity and Activity against Resistant Pathogens

Abstract

Novel quinolone antibacterial agents bearing (3S)-amino-(4R)-ethylpiperidines were designed by using low energy conformation analysis and synthesized by applying a conventional coupling reaction of the quinolone nuclei with new piperidine side chains. These compounds were tested in MIC assays and found to be highly potent against Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. In particular, the new compounds exhibited high activity against the resistant pathogens Staphylococcus aureus (MRCR) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (PR). Importantly, when the (3S)-amino-(4R)-ethylpiperidinyl quinolones were compared with marketed quinolones sharing the same quinolone nuclei but different side chains at the C-7 position, the new quinolones showed superior activity against Gram-positive organisms, including resistant pathogens.