Dual-Target Mycobacterium tuberculosis Inhibition: Insights into the Molecular Mechanism of Antifolate Drugs

The escalating prevalence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has posed a significant challenge to global efforts in combating tuberculosis. To address this issue, innovative therapeutic strategies are required that target essential biochemical pathways while minimizing the potential for resistance development. The concept of dual targeting has gained prominence in drug discovery against resistance bacteria. Dual targeting recognizes the complexity of cellular processes and disrupts more than one vital pathway, simultaneously. By inhibiting more than one essential process required for bacterial growth and survival, the chances of developing resistance are substantially reduced. A previously reported study investigated the dual-targeting potential of a series of novel compounds against the folate pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Expanding on this study, we investigated the predictive pharmacokinetic profiling and the structural mechanism of inhibition of UCP1172, UCP1175, and UCP1063 on key enzymes, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and 5-amino-6-ribitylamino-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione 5′-phosphate reductase (RV2671), involved in the folate pathway. Our findings indicate that the compounds demonstrate lipophilic physiochemical properties that promote gastrointestinal absorption, and may also inhibit the drug-metabolizing enzyme, cytochrome P450 3A4, thus enhancing their biological half-life. Furthermore, key catalytic residues (Serine, Threonine, and Aspartate), conserved in both enzymes, were found to participate in vital molecular interactions with UCP1172, which demonstrated the most favorable free binding energies to both DHFR and RV2671 (−41.63 kcal/mol, −48.04 kcal/mol, respectively). The presence of characteristic loop shifts, which are similar in both enzymes, also indicates a common inhibitory mechanism by UCP1172. This elucidation advances the understanding of UCP1172’s dual inhibition mechanism against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.