Synthesis, Antimicrobial Activity and Dual Target Docking Studies of Novel 1-(5-Chloro-1-benzofuran-2-yl)-3-substituted Phenyl Prop-2-en-1-ones

This study involved synthesizing five novel derivatives of 1-(5-chloro-1-benzofuran-2-yl)-3-substituted phenyl prop-2-en-1-ones throughthe Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction, using 5-chloro-2-acetyl benzofuran and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of base catalyst. The chemical structures of these compounds were confirmed by using IR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Schrödinger docking simulations were employed to ascertain the binding affinity of the synthesized compounds to Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl-ACP reductase and Escherichia coli Topoisomerase IV. Subsequently, the anti-tubercular and in vitro antibacterial activities of the synthesized compounds were also investigated. Anti-tubercular efficacy was determined using the MABA method, while the antibacterial effectiveness was assessed against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains through the agar cup plate. The findings from these assays provide insights into the potential of these compounds as agents possessing anti-tubercular and antibacterial characteristics, thereby offering promising prospects for further investigation in the field of drug development.