Quinolone antibacterials. 1. 7‐(2‐substituted‐4‐thiazolyl and thiazolidinyl)quinolones

A series of 7-(2-substituted-4-thiazolyl and thiazolidinyl)-1-ethyl-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids and their 6-fluoro analogues were synthesized. The Hantzsch method was used for the preparation of the thiazolylquinolones. The thiazolidinylquinolones were synthesized by quaternization of the corresponding thiazolyl analogues, followed by reduction of the obtained thiazolium salts with sodium borohydride in aqueous solution. Antibacterial activity was tested in vitro. Most of the compounds were inactive against Gram-negative bacteria but some of them showed however good activity against Gram-positive bacteria and mycobacteria. This activity pattern is rarely found among the quinolone antibacterials.