Nitroimidazoles: A newer class of Heterocycles for treatment of Tuberculosis

The major cause of tuberculosis (TB) is infection of M. tuberculosis. Tuberculosis Reemerged as a major health concern and ranked among the Top 10 causes of deaths worldwide since 2000. Current TB therapies take too long and the regimens are complex and subject to adverse effects and drug–drug interactions with concomitant medications. Mainly interactions of the current TB drugs with the ARVs taken by HIV positive people, with increased number of multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB) strains, and the ineffectiveness of the current treatment against latent TB are challenges to be overcome in the coming years. Nitroimidazole class of drugs is showing great activity against protozoal infection. In the current review, 5nitroimidazole class of drugs becomes the potential candidate for to be discovered as anti-bacterial and antiprotozoal drugs. This review is about Nitroimidazole class, mainly four agents shown the potential anti-TB property, CGI17341, PA-824, TBA-354 and OPC-67683. They have shown potent anti-TB activity by mixed effect both on genes responsive to cell wall inhibition (like isoniazid) and respiratory poisoning (like cyanide).