28 new pyrrolidine types of compounds as analogues for natural polyhydroxy alkaloids of codonopsinine were evaluated for their anti-MRSA activity using MIC and MBC value determination assay against a panel ofS. aureusisolates. One pyrrolidine compound, MFM 501, exhibited good inhibitory activity with MIC value of 15.6 to 31.3 μg/mL against 55S. aureusisolates (43 MRSA and 12 MSSA isolates). The active compound also displayed MBC values between 250 and 500 μg/mL against 58S. aureusisolates (45 MRSA and 13 MSSA isolates) implying that MFM 501 has a bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal effect against both MRSA and MSSA isolates. In addition, MFM 501 showed no apparent cytotoxicity activity towards three normal cell lines (WRL-68, Vero, and 3T3) with IC₅₀values of >625 µg/mL. Selectivity index (SI) of MFM 501 gave a value of >10 suggesting that MFM 501 is significant and suitable for furtherin vivoinvestigations. These results suggested that synthetically derived intermediate compounds based on natural products may play an important role in the discovery of new anti-infective agents against MRSA.

Previously we have discovered a synthetically derived pyrrolidone alkaloid, MFM501, exhibiting good inhibitory activity against 53 MRSA and MSSA isolates with low cytotoxicity against three normal cell-lines with IC₅₀values at >625 µg/ml. Time-kill assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis,in vivooral acute toxicity test, and mice peritonitis model were carried out in this study. In the time-kill study, MFM501 showed a less than 3 log₁₀decrease in bacterial colony concentration value (CFU/ml) which represented a bacteriostatic action while displaying a time-dependent inhibitory mechanism. Following that, SEM analysis suggested that MFM501 may exert its inhibitory activity via cytoplasmic membrane disruption. Moreover, MFM501 showed no toxicity effect on treated mice at an estimated median acute lethal dose (LD₅₀) value of more than 300 mg/kg and less than 2000 mg/kg. For the efficacy test, a mean effective dose (ED₅₀) of 87.16 mg/kg was obtained via a single dose oral administration. Our data demonstrated that MFM501 has the potential to be developed further as a new, safe, and effective oral-delivered antibacterial agent against MRSA isolates.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continues to be one of the main causes of hospital-acquired infections in all regions of the world, while linezolid is one of the only commercially available oral antibiotics available against this dangerous gram-positive pathogen. In this study, the antibacterial activity from 32 analogues of synthetic gamma-lactam heterocycles against MRSA was determined. Amongst screened analogues for the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, compound MFM514 displayed good inhibitory activity with MIC values of 7.8–15.6 µg/mL against 30 MRSA and 12 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) clinical isolates, while cytotoxicity evaluations displayed a mean inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of > 625 µg/mL, displaying a potential to becoming as a lead compound. In subsequent animal studies for MFM514, a single-dose oral acute toxicity test revealed an estimated mean lethal dose (LD₅₀) value of <5000 mg/kg, while in the mice infection test, a mean effective dose (ED₅₀) value of 29.39 mg/kg was obtained via oral administration. These results suggest that gamma-lactam carbon skeleton, particularly MFM514, is highly recommended to be evaluated further as a new safe and efficacious orally delivered antibacterial agent against MRSA.