Development of 6'- N -Acylated Isepamicin Analogs with Improved Antibacterial Activity Against Isepamicin-Resistant Pathogens

The development of new aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotics has been required to overcome the resistance mechanism of AG-modifying enzymes (AMEs) of AG-resistant pathogens. The AG acetyltransferase, AAC(6')-APH(2″), one of the most typical AMEs, exhibiting substrate promiscuity towards a variety of AGs and acyl-CoAs, was employed to enzymatically synthesize new 6'- -acylated isepamicin (ISP) analogs, 6'- -acetyl/-propionyl/-malonyl ISPs. They were all active against the ISP-resistant Gram-negative bacteria tested, and the 6'- -acetyl ISP displayed reduced toxicity compared to ISP in vitro. This study demonstrated the importance of the modification of the 6'-amino group in circumventing AG-resistance and the potential of regioselective enzymatic modification of AG scaffolds for the development of more robust AG antibiotics.