Antimycobacterial activity of N1-[1-[3-aryl-1-(pyridin-2-, 3- or 4-yl)-3-oxo] propyl]-2-pyridinecarboxamidrazones

Infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis are difficult to treat, and so new compounds potentially active against these bacteria are being sought. A series of 2-pyridinecarboxamidrazone derivatives, recently synthesized, have been evaluated for their inhibitory activity against 17 Mycobacterium avium isolates; the agar dilution method showed different degrees of susceptibility to the new molecules. Four molecules, three of which are chlorine derivatives, inhibited 94% of the strains tested with an MIC of 32 mg/L. These data indicate that these new pyridine-2-carboxamidrazones merit further study as antimycobacterial agents.