Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidinedione derivatives as antibacterial agents.

Several thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidinediones have been synthesized and examined for antibacterial activity against a range of gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. Two compounds displayed potent activity (2-16 mg/L) against multi-drug resistant gram-positive organisms, including methicillin resistant, vancomycin-intermediate, vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, VISA, VRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Only one of these agents possessed moderate activity (16-32 mg/L) against gram-negative strains. An examination of the cytotoxicity of these agents revealed that they displayed low toxicity (40-50 mg/L) against mammalian cells and very low hemolytic activity (2-7%). Taken together, these studies suggest that thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidinediones are interesting scaffolds for the development of novel gram-positive antibacterial agents.