Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 6″-decanesulfonylacetamide-functionalised amphiphilic derivatives of amikacin and kanamycin

Aminoglycoside antibiotics represent the first class of successful drugs in the treatment of tuberculosis; however, mycobacteria and other bacterial species possess several drug resistance mechanisms to inactivate these natural products. In the past 15 years, a variety of amphiphilic aminoglycosides have been shown to have improved activity against infectious microorganisms and to subvert resistance mechanisms. Here, we report on four novel synthetic compounds derived from two existing potent antitubercular compounds and describe their activity against both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus. It was found that a decanesulfonylacetamide-based conjugate of amikacin displayed promising preliminary antitubercular activities, warranting further investigation to assess the therapeutic potential of these unique antimicrobials.