Design, synthesis, and in vitro and biological evaluation of potent amino acid-derived thiol inhibitors of the metallo-β-lactamase IMP-1

•Inhibitors of metallo-β-lactamase were synthesized from aromatic amino acids.•These compounds were assayed in vitro against IMP-1.•A decrease in the resistance of MBL-producing bacteria towards imipenem was shown.•Docking studies were performed on these molecules.

There are currently no clinically available inhibitors of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs). These enzymes confer resistance to bacteria against a broad range of commonly used β-lactam antibiotics, and are produced by an increasing number of bacterial pathogens. In this study, several thiol derivatives of l-amino acids were designed and synthesized, and their inhibitory effects against the metallo-β-lactamase IMP-1 (subclass B1) were investigated. The most potent compound, derived from l-tyrosine, exhibited competitive inhibition, with a Ki of 86 nM. The ability of this compound to render MBL-expressing bacteria susceptible to imipenem was examined. Reductions in MIC values up to 5.2—fold were observed.

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