Design, synthesis and biological profile of heterocyclic benzimidazole analogues as prospective antimicrobial and antiproliferative agents

BACKGROUND: Nitrogen containing heterocycles are widely used and investigated by pharmaceutical industry, as they are important in discovery and designing of new drug molecules. Drugs with a benzimidazole nucleus possess exclusive structural features and electron-rich atmosphere, which enable them to bind to a number of biologically important targets and result in a wide range of activities. This has served as the basis of the present study whereby new scaffolds with benzimidazole moiety were designed and synthesized. METHODS: The structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed by physicochemical and spectral means. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities by tube dilution and Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The in vitro biological screening results revealed that compound Z24 exhibited promising antimicrobial and anticancer activities which are comparable to standards. [Image: see text]