Synthesis and biological evaluation of substituted 4-arylthiazol-2-amino derivatives as potent growth inhibitors of replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37RV

In search of potential therapeutics for tuberculosis, we describe herein synthesis and biological evaluation of some substituted 4-arylthiazol-2-amino derivatives as modified analogues of the antiprotozoal drug Nitazoxanide (NTZ), which has recently been reported as potent inhibitor of Mtb H37Rv (Mtb MIC = 52.12 μM) with an excellent ability to evade resistance. Among the synthesized derivatives, the two compounds 7a (MIC = 15.28 μM) and 7c (MIC = 17.03 μM) have exhibited about three times better Mtb growth inhibitory activity over NTZ and are free from any cytotoxicity (Vero CC50 of 244 and 300 μM respectively). These two compounds represent promising leads for further optimization.