Nitroimidazoles: Molecular Fireworks That Combat a Broad Spectrum of Infectious Diseases.
Chee Wei AngAngie M JarradMatthew A CooperMark A T BlaskovichPublished in: Journal of medicinal chemistry (2017)
Infectious diseases claim millions of lives every year, but with the advent of drug resistance, therapeutic options to treat infections are inadequate. There is now an urgent need to develop new and effective treatments. Nitroimidazoles are a class of antimicrobial drugs that have remarkable broad spectrum activity against parasites, mycobacteria, and anaerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. While nitroimidazoles were discovered in the 1950s, there has been renewed interest in their therapeutic potential, particularly for the treatment of parasitic infections and tuberculosis. In this review, we summarize different classes of nitroimidazoles that have been described in the literature in the past five years, from approved drugs and clinical candidates to examples undergoing preclinical or early stage development. The relatively "nonspecific" mode of action and resistance mechanisms of nitromidazoles are discussed, and contemporary strategies to facilitate nitroimidazole drug development are highlighted.
Keyphrases
- infectious diseases
- early stage
- systematic review
- microbial community
- mycobacterium tuberculosis
- staphylococcus aureus
- wastewater treatment
- gram negative
- emergency department
- stem cells
- hiv aids
- cell therapy
- lymph node
- radiation therapy
- risk assessment
- plasmodium falciparum
- rectal cancer
- electronic health record
- drug induced
- neoadjuvant chemotherapy
- locally advanced
- sewage sludge
- adverse drug