Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and in silico study of N-(Pyrimidin-2-yl)alkyl/arylamide derivatives as quorum sensing inhibitors against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract

The emergence of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents poses a serious threat to the effectiveness of treating bacterial illnesses. A major factor contributing to antimicrobial resistance is biofilm formation, driven by quorum sensing (QS). QS suppression inhibits the QS signaling pathway, obstructing cell-to-cell communication. This study focuses on N-(pyrimidin-2-yl)alkyl/arylamide derivatives, which were designed, synthesized, and characterized for their QS inhibitory effects. Among the synthesized compounds (3a-j), compounds 3b, 3d, and 3h exhibited the highest QS inhibitory activity, with inhibition zones of 17.66 ± 6.17, 14.00 ± 6.24, and 17.33 ± 0.66 mm, respectively. Further, molecular docking studies revealed binding affinities between - 8.4 and - 6.3 kcal/mol, indicating strong interactions with the target proteins. Moreover, molecular dynamic simulations confirmed the stability of the protein-ligand complexes for compounds 3b and 3 h. Additionally, in-silico methods were employed to predict the physicochemical properties of these molecules. Overall, these findings underscore the potential of N-(pyrimidin-2-yl)alkyl/arylamide derivatives as QS inhibitors, offering a new perspective for developing alternative antimicrobial therapies.