Bacterial resistance to β-lactam antibiotics caused by class B metallo-β-lactamases (MBL), especially for certain hospital-acquired, Gram-negative pathogens, poses a significant threat to public health. We report several 2-substituted 4, 5-dihydrothiazole-4-carboxylic acids to be novel MBL inhibitors. Structure activity relationship (SAR) and molecular modeling studies were performed and implications for further inhibitor design are discussed.
