TARGETING ALTERNATE ENZYMATIC PATHWAYS OF MICROBES WITH NOVEL MONOCYCLIC β-LACTAM MOIETIES

Drug resistance of microbes to antibiotics on the market is a looming dilemma that must be addressed with urgency. As microbes develop mechanisms that render medications inactive, it is the job of researchers to study these mechanisms and in turn stay ahead of the resistance race. A newly discovered mechanism is the activation of L,D-transpeptidases as Mtb reverts from an active to a dormant state. By targeting this previously unknown enzymatic pathway, the assumption is that the microbe will have no defenses in place. In addition, the effect of different electron withdrawing moieties at the C4 position of the β-lactam ring was explored. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of these novel compounds were tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Moraxella catarrhalis (M.Cat.).