Structure-activity relationships of antibacterial 6,7- and 7,8-disubstituted 1-alkyl-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids.

Previous quantitative and qualitative structure-activity studies in antibacterial monosubstituted 1-ethyl-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids prompted us to synthesize the 6,7,8-polysubstituted compounds. In this paper, the preparation and antibacterial activity of the 6,7- and 7,8-disubstituted compounds and their derivatives are described. Among these compounds, 1-ethyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1-piperazinyl)quinoline-3-carboxylic acid (34) possessed many significant activities and was more active than oxolinic acid (84) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Structure-activity relationships are discussed.