Click Chemistry in Lead Optimization of Boronic Acids as β-Lactamase Inhibitors

Boronic acid transition-state inhibitors (BATSIs) represent one of the most promising classes of β-lactamase inhibitors. Here we describe a new class of BATSIs, namely, 1-amido-2-triazolylethaneboronic acids, which were synthesized by combining the asymmetric homologation of boronates with copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition for the stereoselective insertion of the amido group and the regioselective formation of the 1,4-disubstituted triazole, respectively. This synthetic pathway, which avoids intermediate purifications, proved to be flexible and efficient, affording in good yields a panel of 14 BATSIs bearing three different R1 amide side chains (acetamido, benzylamido, and 2-thienylacetamido) and several R substituents on the triazole. This small library was tested against two clinically relevant class C β-lactamases from Enterobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The K(i) value of the best compound (13a) was as low as 4 nM with significant reduction of bacterial resistance to the combination of cefotaxime/13a.