Optimization of Acetazolamide-Based Scaffold as Potent Inhibitors of Vancomycin-Resistant .

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are the second leading cause of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) attributed to a drug-resistant bacterium in the United States, and resistance to the frontline treatments is well documented. To combat VRE, we have repurposed the FDA-approved carbonic anhydrase drug acetazolamide to design potent antienterococcal agents. Through structure-activity relationship optimization we have arrived at two leads possessing improved potency against clinical VRE strains from MIC = 2 μg/mL (acetazolamide) to MIC = 0.