Nitazoxanide Analogs Require Nitroreduction for Antimicrobial Activity in Mycobacterium smegmatis

In this study, we aimed to decipher the natural resistance mechanisms of mycobacteria against novel compounds isolated by whole-cell-based high-throughput screening (HTS). We identified active compounds using Mycobacterium aurum. Further analyses were performed to determine the resistance mechanism of M. smegmatis against one hit, 3-bromo-N-(5-nitrothiazol-2-yl)-4-propoxy­benzamide (3), which turned out to be an analog of the drug nitazoxanide (1). We found that the repression of the gene nfnB coding for the nitroreductase NfnB was responsible for the natural resistance of M. smegmatis against 3. The overexpression of nfnB resulted in sensitivity of M. smegmatis to 3. This compound must be metabolized into hydroxylamine intermediate for exhibiting antibacterial activity. Thus, we describe, for the first time, the activity of a mycobacterial nitroreductase against 1 analogs, highlighting the differences in the metabolism of nitro compounds among mycobacterial species and emphasizing the potential of nitro drugs as antibacterials in various bacterial species.