Trisubstituted Imidazoles as Mycobacterium tuberculosis Glutamine Synthetase Inhibitors

Mycobacterium tuberculosis glutamine synthetase (MtGS) is a promising target for antituberculosis drug discovery. In a recent high-throughput screening study we identified several classes of MtGS inhibitors targeting the ATP-binding site. We now explore one of these classes, the 2-tert-butyl-4,5-diarylimidazoles, and present the design, synthesis, and X-ray crystallographic studies leading to the identification of MtGS inhibitors with submicromolar IC₅₀ values and promising antituberculosis MIC values.