Identification and bioevaluation of SRI-12742 as an antimicrobial agent against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-Ab) is one of the most significant nosocomial pathogens that is being increasingly isolated in healthcare settings worldwide. Owing to its inherent drug-resistant nature, coupled with its ability to readily acquire resistance to other antibiotic classes, there is a real dearth of antibiotics available to treat infections with MDR-Ab. A commercially available library was screened against MDR-Ab BAA-1605 to identify novel inhibitory molecules. The selectivity index of a hit was tested against Vero cells and in vitro efficacy was profiled against a panel of clinical MDR-Ab. The bacteriostatic or bactericidal nature was determined by time-kill experiments, and synergy with clinically approved drugs was determined by the chequerboard method. Additionally, in vivo efficacy was measured in a murine neutropenic A. baumannii thigh infection model. SRI-12742 was identified as a potent active hit, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4 mg/L against BAA-1605. Its activity was then profiled against a MDR-Ab clinical strain panel (MICs 4 mg/L to >64 mg/L). SRI-12742 exhibited concentration-dependent bactericidal activity and caused an ca. 16 log10 CFU/mL reduction at 10 × MIC in 24 h, which is comparable with minocycline. In a murine neutropenic thigh infection model of A. baumannii infection, SRI-12742 reduced CFU counts by ca. 0.9 log10 CFU, which is comparable with polymyxin B. In addition, SRI-12742 synergised with all classes of antibiotics tested. SRI-12742 exhibits all of the criteria necessary to be positioned as a novel lead with potential to be deployed for the treatment of infections caused by MDR-Ab.