Design, synthesis and in vitro anti-mycobacterial activities of homonuclear and heteronuclear bis-isatin derivatives

A series of novel homonuclear and heteronuclear bis-isatin derivatives tethered through ethylene were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anti-mycobacterial activities against MTB H37Rv and MDR-TB. All hybrids exhibited potential anti-mycobacterial activities against MTB H37Rv and MDR-TB with MIC ranging from 16 to 256 μg/mL. In particular, the heteronuclear bis-isatin 4i (MIC: 25 and 16 μg/mL) was most active against MTB H37Rv and MDR-TB strains, and could act as a lead for further optimization.