Design and synthesis of fatty acid derived 4-methoxybenzylamides as antimicrobial agents

A new series of fatty acid amides viz. N-(4-methoxybenzyl)undec-10-enamide (5), (9Z, 12R)-12-Hydroxy-N-(4-methoxybenzyl)octadec-9-enamide (6) and N-(4-methoxy benzyl)oleamide (7) were synthesized by using a suitable synthetic route involving DCC and DMAP as catalysts. The synthesized compounds were characterized through FTIR, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. DNA binding studies through spectroscopy and molecular docking were performed to evaluate the binding mechanism of molecules (5–7) with (ctDNA). The inhibition zone with reference to standards, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Killing Concentration (MKC) values were determined to study the in vitro antimicrobial activity for tested compounds. Among all the tested compounds, the compound 6 containing hydroxy group at the fatty acid chain showed most powerful antifungal as well as antibacterial activity.