Synthesis and antimicrobial properties of guanidine-functionalized labdane type diterpenoids

The occurrence of increased antibiotic resistance has reduced the availability of drugs effective in the control of infectious diseases, especially those caused by various combinations of bacteria and/or fungi that are often associated with poorer patient outcomes. In the hunt for novel antibiotics of interest to treat polymicrobial diseases, molecules bearing guanidine moieties have recently come to the fore in designing and optimizing antimicrobial agents. Due to their remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activities, labdane diterpenes are also attracting increasing interest in antimicrobial drug discovery. In this study, six different guanidines prenylated with labdanic fragments were synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial properties. Assays were carried out against both non-resistant and antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains, while their possible antifungal activities have been tested on the yeast Candida albicans. Two of the synthesized compounds, namely labdan-8,13(R)-epoxy-15-oyl guanidine and labdan-8,13(S)-epoxy-15-oyl guanidine, were finally selected as the best candidates for further developments in drug discovery, due to their antimicrobial effects on both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains, their fungicide action, and their moderate toxicity in vivo on zebrafish embryos. The study also provides insights into the structure-activity relationships of the guanidine-functionalized labdane-type diterpenoids.