Discovery of hybrids of indolin-2-one and nitroimidazole as potent inhibitors against drug-resistant bacteria

With antibiotics resistance developing rapidly, new antibacterial agents are needed to be discovered. We readily synthesized 11 indolin-2-one compounds and found a hybrid of indolin-2-one and nitroimidazole 3-((1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methylene)indolin-2-one to be effective on Staphylococcus aureus strains. Six derivatives of this compound were further designed and synthesized in order to enhance its efficacy. After a second turn of structural refinement, a novel hybrid of indolin-2-one and nitroimidazole 3-((1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methylene)-5-nitroindolin-2-one with a nitro group on C-5 position of indolin-2-one was shown to exhibit remarkable antibacterial activities with a low MIC value against MRSA ATCC 33591. Besides, this molecule demonstrated its potency on Gram-negative bacteria and VRE strain. The time-killing curve experiment showed its good bactericidal activity. Low hemolytic rate suggested its promising safety profile.