Synthesis,antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of novel benzimidazole derivatives bearing cyanopyridine and 4-thiazolidinone motifs

A series of 6-(1H-benzod]imidazol-2-yl)-2-(2-(3-nitrophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-yl)-4-(aryl)nicotinonitriles 5a–l were synthesized and characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectrometry techniques. These novel compounds 5a–l were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against different bacterial and fungal strains and in vitro cytotoxicity study (HeLa cell line) using MTT colorimetric assay. The results demonstrated that compounds 5c, 5e, and 5i–k exhibited excellent antibacterial activity, while compounds 5d, 5i, and 5k were found to be the most potent antifungal agents. From the standpoint of SAR studies, it was observed that the presence of electron donating groups remarkably enhanced the antimicrobial activity of newly synthesized compounds. Further, the results of preliminary MTT cytotoxicity studies on HeLa cells suggested that potent antimicrobial activity of 5c–e and 5i–k was accompanied by low cytotoxicity.