Mechanism of action of 5-nitrothiophenes against mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract

On using the streptomycin-starved 18b strain as a model for nonreplicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we identified a 5-nitrothiophene compound as highly active but not cytotoxic. Mutants resistant to 5-nitrothiophenes were found be cross-resistant to the nitroimidazole PA-824 and unable to produce the F420 cofactor. Furthermore, 5-nitrothiophenes were shown to be activated by the F420-dependent nitroreductase Ddn and to release nitric oxide, a mechanism of action identical to that described for nitroimidazoles. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology.