Natural product inspired library synthesis - Identification of 2,3-diarylbenzofuran and 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran based inhibitors of Chlamydia trachomatis

A natural product inspired library was synthesized based on 2,3-diarylbenzofuran and 2,3-diaryl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran scaffolds. The library of forty-eight compounds was prepared by utilizing Pd-catalyzed one-pot multicomponent reactions and ruthenium-catalyzed intramolecular carbenoid C-H insertions. The compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activity in a panel of test systems including phenotypic, biochemical and image-based screening assays. We identified several potent inhibitors that block intracellular replication of pathogenic Chlamydia trachomatis with IC50 ≤ 3 μM. These new C. trachomatis inhibitors can serve as starting points for the development of specific treatments that reduces the global burden of C. trachomatis infections.