Highly Active Oligoethylene Glycol Pleuromutilins via Systematic Linker Synthesis/One-Pot Attachment and a Microscale Solubility Method

The semisynthetic derivatization of natural products is crucial for their continued development as antibiotics. While commercial pleuromutilin derivatives depend on amines for solubility, we demonstrate the high activity and solubility of oligoethylene glycol-substituted pleuromutilins achieved via a one-pot deprotection/attachment approach using thiolates protected as thioesters. The bifunctional linker synthesis is versatile and can be broadly applied to other chemistries. Antibacterial assays revealed this simple glycolate modification enhanced inhibition 4–8-fold relative to that of pleuromutilin. A new microscale solubility method is also introduced.