Trifluoromethylcontaining sulfanilamides. I. Synthesis and in vitro antibacterial activity.

In a wider research directed to improve pharmacological profiles of known anti-infective agents by introducing fluorine or trifluoromethyl groups, some sulfanilamides trifluoromethylsubstituted on N1 ring, were synthesized and examined for their in vitro activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Two N1-trifluoromethylphenyl-sulfanilamides, 1 and 4, exhibited MIC values, against all tested bacteria, similar or lower than those of the "classical" sulfanilamides, assayed in comparison. The new sulfanilamide 4 appears to be the more interesting: in fact, the presence of p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) in culture medium did not influence its MIC values and no synergy was observed with trimethoprim, suggesting mechanism of action different from that of known sulfanilamides.