New 4-thiazolidinones from 5-ethyl pyridine-2-ethanol: their antibacterial,antifungal, and antitubercular activity

New thiazolidinones 5a–o were prepared from Schiff base 4a–o and thioglycolic acid in the presence of ZnCl₂ from 4-[2-(5-ethylpyridin-2-yl)ethoxy]benzaldehyde. The structures of the synthesized compounds were assigned on the basis of elemental analysis, IR, ¹H NMR ¹³C NMR, and mass spectral data. All the compounds were screened against different strains of bacteria and fungi. Compounds 4e, 4n, 4m, 4o, 5e, 5f, 5j, and 5m possessed very good activity against bacterial and fungal species. These active compounds impelled us to study their antitubercular activity. Schiff base 4n and 4e showed M. tuberculosis MIC value 25 and 62.5 μg/ml, respectively. Thiazolidinone 5m displayed M. tuberculosis MIC at 25 μg/ml, which is better antitubercular activity compared with rifampicin.