The antimicrobial properties of 2-alkynoic acids have been studied for many years with the goal of identifying new antibacterial treatments. In 2006, it was reported that 2-hexadecynoic acid was antimycobacterial against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Although it is well known that fatty acid synthesis is a target for antibacterial activity of 2-hexadecynoic acid, further research needs to be done in order to find other molecular targets, e.g., DNA topoisomerases. DNA topoisomerases are nuclear enzymes that are involved in several cellular processes such as replication, recombination, and transcription. In addition, DNA topoisomerases are known to be important molecular targets for some antibacterial drugs.  In order to gain further knowledge about the biological properties of 2-hexadecynoic acid, we performed the total synthesis of 2-hexadecynoic acid, evaluated its antibacterial and cytotoxic properties, and evaluated its inhibitory activity against human topoisomerase I. Results from this study will be presented.

Total synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of 2-hexadecynoic acid and its potential as a human topoisomerase I inhibitor

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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