Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity of novel Fe(III), Co(II), and Zn(II) complexes with norfloxacin

Synthesis and characterization of a series of complexes with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The complexes [Ni(HNOR)2]n·5nH2O (1), [Cd(HNOR)2]n (2), [Zn(HNOR)2·2H2O] (3), and [Co(H2NOR)2·2H2O]n·2nNO3 (4) (H2NOR = norfloxacin) are synthesized by a hydrothermal process. The structures of the complexes are determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complexes are also characterized by infrared and elemental analysis. At the same time, the promoter catalytic properties of the complexes are studied under visible light, with complex 1 enhancing the catalytic performance of gCN from 407.4 to 914.1 μmol h−1 g−1 and complex 4 enhancing the catalytic performance of gCN from 407.4 to 943.9 μmol h−1 g−1. Complexes 1 and 4 significantly enhance visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Rare-Earth Metal Complexes of the Antibacterial Drug Oxolinic Acid: Synthesis, Characterization, DNA/Protein Binding and Cytotoxicity Studies

"Drug repositioning" is a current trend which proved useful in the search for new applications for existing, failed, no longer in use or abandoned drugs, particularly when addressing issues such as bacterial or cancer cells resistance to current therapeutic approaches. In this context, six new complexes of the first-generation quinolone oxolinic acid with rare-earth metal cations (Y³⁺, La³⁺, Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺, Tb³⁺) have been synthesized and characterized. The experimental data suggest that the quinolone acts as a bidentate ligand, binding to the metal ion via the keto and carboxylate oxygen atoms; these findings are supported by DFT (density functional theory) calculations for the Sm³⁺ complex. The cytotoxic activity of the complexes, as well as the ligand, has been studied on MDA-MB 231 (human breast adenocarcinoma), LoVo (human colon adenocarcinoma) and HUVEC (normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells) cell lines. UV-Vis spectroscopy and competitive binding studies show that the complexes display binding affinities (K_b) towards double stranded DNA in the range of 9.33 × 10⁴ - 10.72 × 10⁵. Major and minor groove-binding most likely play a significant role in the interactions of the complexes with DNA. Moreover, the complexes bind human serum albumin more avidly than apo-transferrin.

Two DNA binding modes of a zinc-metronidazole and biological evaluation as a potent anti-cancer agent

A complex of metronidazole (MTZ) with zinc ion was synthesized and characterized by UV-Vis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), ¹H-NMR, X-ray crystallography and thermal gravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). The cytotoxicity effect of the synthesized complex investigated over SKNMC, A549, MCF-7, and MCDK cell lines and the results have shown that it has high cytotoxic potential over cancer cell lines. In order to clarify the mechanism of cell cytotoxicity, the oxidative stress and binding of the complex to the calf thymus-DNA studied by evaluating the intrinsic binding constant and defining thermodynamic parameters of complex over the DNA accompanying with in silico molecular modeling method. For this purpose, the complex optimized at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level and docked over the DNA structure. The results revealed that the metronidazole-zinc complex interacted with DNA via hydrogen binding and electrostatic interaction to the minor groove region and phosphate backbone of DNA, respectively.

Gallium(iii) and iron(iii) complexes of quinolone antimicrobials

Iron is an essential nutrient for many microbes. According to the "Trojan Horse Hypothesis", biological systems have difficulties distinguishing between Fe(3+) and Ga(3+), which constitutes the antimicrobial efficacy of the gallium(iii) ion. Nine novel tris(quinolono)gallium(iii) complexes and their corresponding iron(iii) analogs have been synthesized and fully characterized. Quinolone antimicrobial agents from three drug generations were used in this study: ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, fleroxacin, levofloxacin, lomefloxacin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, oxolinic acid, and pipemidic acid. The antimicrobial efficacy of the tris(quinolono)gallium(iii) complexes was studied against E. faecalis and S. aureus (both Gram-positive), as well as E. coli, K. pneumonia, and P. aeruginosa (all Gram-negative) in direct comparison to the tris(quinolono)iron(iii) complexes and the corresponding free quinolone ligands at various concentrations. For the tris(quinolono)gallium(iii) complexes, no combinational antimicrobial effects between Ga(3+) and the quinolone antimicrobial agents were observed.

Highly efficient and antibacterial zinc norfloxacin thermal stabilizer for poly(vinyl chloride)

A novel, highly efficient, antibacterial multifunctional thermal stabilizer, zinc norfloxacin (ZnNo₂) for PVC was prepared, and studied by Congo red test, discoloration, dehydrochlorination test, visible spectroscopy and inhibition zone test.

Miniaturization of spectrophotometry based on micro flow analysis using norfloxacin as less-toxic reagent for iron determination

A micro flow analysis (μFA) system has been designed and fabricated for determination of total iron. The system consists of a microchannels fabricated by etching the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) by using laser ablation techniques and a sealed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as top plate. The PMMA micro-flow was topped with a home-made polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-flow through cell, which was integrated with light emitting diode (LED) as light source and a USB 2000 spectrometer as detector. The proposed μFA system was applied to determination of Fe(III) using norfloxacin as a less-toxic complexing agent in an acetate buffer solution pH 4.0, resulting in a yellow colored complex which gave the maximum absorption at 430nm. Under the optimum conditions, a linear calibration graph was obtained in the concentration range of 0.20-5.00mgL(-1). The limit of detection (LOD, defined as 3σ) and limit of quantification (LOQ, defined as 10σ) were 0.12 and 0.45mgL(-1), respectively. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for repeatability and reproducibility were less than 1.50% and 1.24% (n=11) for 0.2mgL(-1) and 1.0mgL(-1) Fe(III), respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of total iron in water samples, validated by the FAAS standard method after digestion by HNO3 and H2O2.

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue with hematite nanoparticles synthesized by thermal decomposition of fluoroquinolones oxalato–iron(iii) complexes

Thermal decomposition of fluoroquinolones oxalato iron(iii) complexes, synthesized from fluoroquinolones and potassium tris(oxalato)ferrate(iii) trihydrate, gave α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles suitable for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.

Interaction of vanadium (IV) solvates (L) with second-generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial drug ciprofloxacin: spectroscopic, structure, thermal analyses, kinetics and biological evaluation (L=An, DMF, Py and Et3N)

The preparation and characterization of the new solid complexes [VO(CIP)2L]SO4⋅nH2O, where L=aniline (An), dimethylformamide (DMF), pyridine (Py) and triethylamine (Et3N) in the reaction of ciprofloxacin (CIP) with VO(SO4)2·2H2O in ethanol. The isolated complexes have been characterized with their melting points, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, magnetic properties, conductance measurements, UV-Vis. and (1)H NMR spectroscopic methods and thermal analyses. The results supported the formation of the complexes and indicated that ciprofloxacin reacts as a bidentate ligand bound to the vanadium ion through the pyridone oxygen and one carboxylato oxygen. The activation energies, E(*); entropies, ΔS(*); enthalpies, ΔH(*); Gibbs free energies, ΔG(*), of the thermal decomposition reactions have been derived from thermo gravimetric (TGA) and differential thermo gravimetric (DTG) curves, using Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzeger methods. The lowest energy model structure of each complex has been proposed by using the density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/CEP-31G level of theory. The ligand and their metal complexes were also evaluated for their antibacterial activity against several bacterial species, such as Bacillus Subtilis (B. Subtilis), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Nesseria Gonorrhoeae (N. Gonorrhoeae), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Escherichia coli (E. coli).

A rapid and sensitive resonance Rayleigh scattering spectra method for the determination of quinolones in human urine and pharmaceutical preparation

A new method based on resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) was proposed for the determination of quinolones (QNS) at the nanogram level. In pH 3.3-4.4 Britton-Robinson buffer medium, quinolones such as ciprofloxacin, pipemidic acid (PIP), lomefloxacin (LOM), norfloxacin (NOR) and sarafloxacin (SAR) were protonated and reacted with methyl orange (MO) to form an ion-pair complex, which then further formed a six-membered ring chelate with Pd(II). As a result, new RRS spectra appeared and the RRS intensities were enhanced greatly. RRS spectral characteristics of the MO-QNS-Pd(II) systems, the optimum conditions for the reaction, and the influencing factors were investigated. Under optimum conditions, the scattering intensity (∆I) increments were directly proportional to the concentration of QNS with in certain ranges. The method had high sensitivity, and the detection limits (3σ) ranged from 6.8 to 12.6 ng/mL. The proposed method had been successfully applied for the determination of QNS in pharmaceutical formulations and human urine samples. In addition, the mechanism of the reaction system was discussed based on IR, absorption and fluorescence spectral studies. The reasons for the enhancement of scattering spectra were discussed in terms of fluorescence-scattering resonance energy transfer, hydrophobicity and molecular size.

Metal complexes of quinolone antibiotics and their applications: an update

Quinolones are synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotics with good oral absorption and excellent bioavailability. Due to the chemical functions found on their nucleus (a carboxylic acid function at the 3-position, and in most cases a basic piperazinyl ring (or another N-heterocycle) at the 7-position, and a carbonyl oxygen atom at the 4-position) quinolones bind metal ions forming complexes in which they can act as bidentate, as unidentate and as bridging ligand, respectively. In the polymeric complexes in solid state, multiple modes of coordination are simultaneously possible. In strongly acidic conditions, quinolone molecules possessing a basic side nucleus are protonated and appear as cations in the ionic complexes. Interaction with metal ions has some important consequences for the solubility, pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of quinolones, and is also involved in the mechanism of action of these bactericidal agents. Many metal complexes with equal or enhanced antimicrobial activity compared to the parent quinolones were obtained. New strategies in the design of metal complexes of quinolones have led to compounds with anticancer activity. Analytical applications of complexation with metal ions were oriented toward two main directions: determination of quinolones based on complexation with metal ions or, reversely, determination of metal ions based on complexation with quinolones.

Norfloxacin Zn(II)-based complexes: acid base ionization constant determination, DNA and albumin binding properties and the biological effect against Trypanosoma cruzi

Zn(II) complexes with norfloxacin (NOR) in the absence or in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) were obtained and characterized. In both complexes, the ligand NOR was coordinated through a keto and a carboxyl oxygen. Tetrahedral and octahedral geometries were proposed for [ZnCl2(NOR)]·H2O (1) and [ZnCl2(NOR)(phen)]·2H2O (2), respectively. Since the biological activity of the chemicals depends on the pH value, pH titrations of the Zn(II) complexes were performed. UV spectroscopic studies of the interaction of the complexes with calf-thymus DNA (CT DNA) have suggested that they can bind to CT DNA with moderate affinity in an intercalative mode. The interactions between the Zn(II) complexes and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were investigated by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy at pH 7.4. The experimental data showed static quenching of BSA fluorescence, indicating that both complexes bind to BSA. A modified Stern-Volmer plot for the quenching by complex 2 demonstrated preferential binding near one of the two tryptophan residues of BSA. The binding constants obtained (K b ) showed that BSA had a two orders of magnitude higher affinity for complex 2 than for 1. The results also showed that the affinity of both complexes for BSA was much higher than for DNA. This preferential interaction with protein sites could be important to their biological mechanisms of action. The analysis in vitro of the Zn(II) complexes and corresponding ligand were assayed against Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease and the data showed that complex 2 was the most active against bloodstream trypomastigotes.

Atypical fluoroquinolone gold(III) chelates as potential anticancer agents: relevance of DNA and protein interactions for their mechanism of action

Quinolones are known for their antimicrobial and antitumor activities. Gold(III) compounds constitute an emerging class of biologically active substances, of special interest as potential anticancer agents. In this work three gold(III) complexes of the fluoroquinolones antimicrobial agents norfloxacin (NOR), levofloxacin (LEVO) and sparfloxacin (SPAR) were prepared and characterized with physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques. In these complexes, NOR, LEVO and SPAR act as bidentate neutral ligands bound to gold(III) through the nitrogen atoms of the piperazine ring, which is an unusual mode of coordination for this class of compounds. Two chloride ions occupy the remaining coordination sites. The cytotoxic activity of the fluoroquinolones and their gold(III) complexes was tested against the A20 (murine lymphoma), B16-F10 (murine melanoma) and K562 (human myeloid leukemia) tumor cell lines as well as the L919 (murine lung fibroblasts) and MCR-5 (human lung fibroblasts) normal cells lines. All complexes were more active than their corresponding free ligands. Complex [AuCl(2)(LEVO)]Cl was selected for DNA fragmentation and cell cycle analysis. Spectroscopic titration with calf-thymus DNA (CT DNA) showed that the complexes can bind weakly to CT DNA, probably by an external contact (electrostatic or groove binding). The complexes exhibit good binding propensity to bovine serum albumin (BSA) having relatively high binding constant values.

Synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial investigation of some moxifloxacin metal complexes

The new complexes of moxifloxacin (MOX), with Ti(IV), Y(III), Pd(II) and Ce(IV) have been synthesized. These complexes were then characterized by melting point, magnetic studies and spectroscopic techniques involving infrared spectra (IR), UV-Vis, (1)H NMR. C, H, N and halogen elemental analysis and thermal behavior of complexes also investigated. The results suggested that the molar ratio for all complexes is M: MOX=1:2 where moxifloxacin acts as a bidentate via one of the oxygen atoms of the carboxylate group and through the ring carbonyl group and the complexes have the following formula [Ti(MOX)(2)](SO(4))(2)·7H(2)O, [Y(MOX)(2)Cl(2)]Cl·12H(2)O, [Pd(MOX)(2)(H(2)O)(2)]Cl(2)·6H(2)O and [Ce(MOX)(2)](SO(4))(2)·2H(2)O. The activation energies, E*, enthalpies, ΔH*, entropies, ΔS* and Gibbs free energies, ΔG*, of the thermal decomposition reactions have been derived from thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric (DrTG) curves, using Coats-Redfern (CR) and Horowitz-Metzger (HM) methods. The antimicrobial activity of these complexes has been evaluated against three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria and compared with the reference drug moxifloxacin. The antibacterial activity of Ti(IV) complex is significant for E. coli K32 and highly significant for S. aureus K1, B. subtilis K22, Br. otitidis K76, P. aeruginosa SW1 and K. oxytoca K42 compared with free moxifloxacin.

Synthesis, structural characterization and antimicrobial activity evaluation of metal complexes of sparfloxacin

The synthesis and characterization of binary Cu(II)- (1), Co(II)- (2), Ni(II)- (3), Mn(II)- (4), Cr(III)- (5), Fe(III)- (6), La(III)- (7), UO(2)(VI)- (8) complexes with sparfloxacin (HL(1)) and ternary Cu(II)- (9), Co(II)- (10), Ni(II)- (11), Mn(II)- (12), Cr(III)- (13), Fe(III)- (14), La(III)- (15), UO(2)(VI)- (16) complexes with sparfloxacin (HL(1)) and DL-alanine (H(2)L(2)) complexes are reported using elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility, IR, UV-Vis, thermal analysis and (1)H-NMR spectral studies. The molar conductance measurements of all the complexes in DMF solution correspond to non-electrolytic nature. All complexes were of the high-spin type and found to have six-coordinate octahedral geometry except the Cu(II) complexes which were four coordinate, square planar and U- and La-atoms in the uranyl and lanthanide have a pentagonal bipyramidal coordination sphere. The antimicrobial activity of these complexes has been screened against two gram-positive and two gram-negative bacteria. Antifungal activity against two different fungi has been evaluated and compared with reference drug sparfloxacin. All the binary and ternary complexes showed remarkable potential antimicrobial activity higher than the recommended standard agents. Ni(II)- and Mn(II) complexes exhibited higher potency as compared to the parent drug against gram-negative bacteria.

Ligational behaviour of lomefloxacin drug towards Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Th(IV) and UO(2)(VI) ions: synthesis, structural characterization and biological activity studies

Nine new mononuclear Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Th(IV) and UO(2)(VI) complexes of lomefloxacin drug were synthesized. The structures of these complexes were elucidated by elemental analyses, IR, XRD, UV-vis, (1)H NMR as well as conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements and thermal analyses. The dissociation constants of lomefloxacin and stability constants of its binary complexes have been determined spectrophotometrically in aqueous solution at 25±1°C and at 0.1 M KNO(3) ionic strength. The discussion of the outcome data of the prepared complexes indicate that the lomefloxacin ligand behaves as a neutral bidentate ligand through OO coordination sites and coordinated to the metal ions via the carbonyl oxygen and protonated carboxylic oxygen with 1:1 (metal:ligand) stoichiometry for all complexes. The molar conductance measurements proved that the complexes are electrolytes. The powder XRD study reflects the crystalline nature for the investigated ligand and its complexes except Mn(II), Zn(II) and UO(2)(II). The geometrical structures of these complexes are found to be octahedral. The thermal behaviour of these chelates is studied where the hydrated complexes lose water molecules of hydration in the first steps followed by decomposition of the anions, coordinated water and ligand molecules in the subsequent steps. The activation thermodynamic parameters are calculated using Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger methods. A comparative study of the inhibition zones of the ligand and its metal complexes indicates that metal complexes exhibit higher antibacterial effect against one or more bacterial species than the free LFX ligand. The antifungal and anticancer activities were also tested. The antifungal effect of almost metal complexes is higher than the free ligand. LFX, [Co(LFX)(H(2)O)(4)]·Cl(2) and [Zn(LFX)(H(2)O)(4)]·Cl(2) were found to be very active with IC50 values 14, 11.2 and 43.1, respectively. While, other complexes had been found to be inactive at lower concentration than 100 μg/ml.

Preparation and in vitro, in vivo evaluations of norfloxacin-loaded solid lipid nanopartices for oral delivery

This work aims to develop norfloxacin-solid lipid nanoparticles (NFX-SLN) as an oral delivery formulation. Hot homogenization and ultrasonic technique was employed to prepare NFX-SLN using stearic acid as lipid matrix and polyvinyl alcohol as surfactant. The physicochemical characteristics of SLN were investigated by optical microscope scanning electron microscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy. Antibacterial experiments of NFX-SLN were carried out by broth dilution technique. Pharmacokinetics was studied after oral administration in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The results showed that NFX-SLN was spherical and the SLN of the optimized formulation had diameters 301 ± 16.64 nm, polydispersity index 0.15 ± 0.04, zeta potential -30.8 ± 0.69 mv, loading capacity 8.58 ± 0.21% and encapsulation efficiency 92.35 ± 2.24% with good stability at 4 °C. The NFX-SLN had sustained release effect and sustained bactericidal activity. Cytotoxicity studies in cell culture demonstrated that the nanoparticles were not toxic. NFX-SLN resulted in significantly higher plasma drug concentration than native NFX. The SLN increased the relative bioavailability of NFX by 12 folds, prolonged the plasma drug level above the average minimum inhibition concentration from 14 to 168 h. These studies demonstrate that NFX-SLN could be a promising oral formulation for enhanced bioavailability and pharmacological activities.

Spectroscopic, structure and antimicrobial activity of new Y(III) and Zr(IV) ciprofloxacin

The preparation and characterization of the new solid complexes [Y(CIP)2(H2O)2]Cl(3)·10H2O and [ZrO(CIP)2Cl]Cl·15H2O formed in the reaction of ciprofloxacin (CIP) with YCl3 and ZrOCl(2)·8H2O in ethanol and methanol, respectively, at room temperature were reported. The isolated complexes have been characterized with elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, conductance measurements, UV-vis and 1H NMR spectroscopic methods and thermal analyses. The results support the formation of the complexes and indicate that ciprofloxacin reacts as a bidentate ligand bound to the metal ion through the pyridone oxygen and one carboxylato oxygen. The activation energies, E*; entropies, ΔS*; enthalpies, ΔH*; Gibbs free energies, ΔG*, of the thermal decomposition reactions have been derived from thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) curves, using Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzeger methods. The proposed structure of the two complexes was detected by using the density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/CEP-31G level of theory. The ligand as well as their metal complexes was also evaluated for their antibacterial activity against several bacterial species, such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and antifungal screening was studied against two species (Penicillium (P. rotatum) and Trichoderma (T. sp.)). This study showed that the metal complexes are more antibacterial as compared to free ligand and no antifungal activity observed for ligand and their complexes.

Influence of metal ions on the interaction between gatifloxacin and calf thymus DNA

To study the interaction between gatifloxacin (GT), metal ions (Cu(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), Mg(2+)) and calf thymus DNA under condition of physiology pH, UV absorption and fluorescence methods were adopted. Result shows that metal ions and DNA are able to react with GT in ground state. In further research, by studying the influence of metal ions on binding of GT with DNA in metal ions-GT-DNA ternary system, we found that influential mechanism of Mg(2+) on the binding of GT with DNA may be different from the other three. Mg(2+) can act as a bridge in the binding of GT's carboxyl/carbonyl with DNA phosphate in certain concentration range; while Cu(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+) can combine directly with GT by reaction between GT carboxyl/carbonyl and DNA base, and enhance the binding ability of GT with DNA. The influence extent and type depend not only on the binding site of DNA with metal ions (phosphate or base), but also the binding ability of which. The stronger the binding ability of metal ions with DNA base is, the larger their promotion to binding of GT with DNA is. The order of metal ions' influential ability on the binding of GT-DNA is identical to the binding ability order of metal ions with DNA base, that is: Cu(2+)>Cd(2+)>Co(2+)>Mg(2+).

Norfloxacin sorption and its thermodynamics on surface-modified carbon nanotubes

Adsorption on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may affect the environmental behavior of organic contaminants including antibiotics. In this study, sorption of norfloxacin (NOR) onto graphitized multiwall CNTs (G-CNTs), carboxylated multiwall CNTs (C-CNTs), hydroxylated multiwall CNTs (H-CNTs), and activated carbon (AC) was investigated. All sorption isotherms were highly nonlinear and were fitted well by Freundlich and Polanyi-Manes models. AC showed the highest NOR sorption capacity because of its highest surface area. H-CNTs had much higher NOR sorption than C-CNTs, and the pi-pi electron donor-acceptor (EDA) interactions could explain the distinction between the two types of CNTs. Comparison of sorption coefficients at different pHs indicates that hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction also played major roles in sorption of NOR on CNTs. Furthermore, high sorption capacity and hysteresis of NOR on CNTs were demonstrated in this study, which needs to be considered for predicting environmental risks of CNTs and NOR. The results from thermodynamic analysis show that sorption of NOR on AC and CNTs was thermodynamically favorable and generally endothermic. Sorption site energy analysis illustrates a distribution of sorption energy, consistent with nonlinear isotherms, which indicates the heterogeneous sites on CNTs for NOR adsorption.

Antibacterial Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with biacetyl-derived Schiff bases

The condensation reactions of biacetyl with orthohydroxyaniline and 2-aminobenzoic acid to form bidendate NO donor Schiff bases were studied. The prepared Schiff base ligands were further utilized for the formation of metal chelates having the general formula [ML2.2H2O] where M = Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) and L = HL1 and HL2. These new compounds were characterized by conductance measurements, magnetic susceptibility measurements, elemental analysis, and IR, 1H-NMR and electronic spectroscopy. Both Schiff base ligands were found to have a mono-anionic bidentate nature and octahedral geometry was assigned to all metal complexes. All the complexes contained coordinated water which was lost at 141-160 ?C. These compounds were also screened for their in-vitro antibacterial activity against four bacterial species, namely; Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Bacillus subtillis. The metal complexes were found to have greater antibacterial activity than the uncomplexed Schiff base ligands.