Facile synthesis, antimicrobial activity, and molecular docking analysis of 8-hydroxyquinoline-4-thiazolidinone hybrids

BACKGROUND

8-Hydroxyquinoline and 4-thiazolidinone derivatives are promising antimicrobial agents, recognized for their activity against resistant pathogens.

AIM

The aim of this study is to develop 8-hydroxyquinoline-4-thiazolidinone derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents.

METHODS

Using a one-pot reaction with sodium tetrafluoroborate as an efficient and eco-friendly catalyst, compounds 6a - l were synthesized and subsequently screened for antibacterial and antifungal activity. Additionally, molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations were performed to evaluate the active compounds and gain deeper insights into their potential as antimicrobial agents.

RESULTS

Compounds 6f and 6 g showed superior antibacterial activity to ciprofloxacin, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria, while 6b, 6 g, and 6 h demonstrated strong antifungal effects. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and MM-GBSA calculations highlighted strong binding interactions and stable conformations of the active compounds within binding pocket of the FabZ enzyme. The ADMET analyses further indicated that these compounds possess favorable drug-like properties.

CONCLUSION

The synthesized 8-hydroxyquinoline-4-thiazolidinone hybrids exhibit strong potential as broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents and merit further investigation as drug candidates.

New Thiazolidine-4-One Derivatives as SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors

It has been more than four years since the first report of SARS-CoV-2, and humankind has experienced a pandemic with an unprecedented impact. Moreover, the new variants have made the situation even worse. Among viral enzymes, the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) has been deemed a promising drug target vs. COVID-19. Indeed, Mpro is a pivotal enzyme for viral replication, and it is highly conserved within coronaviruses. It showed a high extent of conservation of the protease residues essential to the enzymatic activity, emphasizing its potential as a drug target to develop wide-spectrum antiviral agents effective not only vs. SARS-CoV-2 variants but also against other coronaviruses. Even though the FDA-approved drug nirmatrelvir, a Mpro inhibitor, has boosted the antiviral therapy for the treatment of COVID-19, the drug shows several drawbacks that hinder its clinical application. Herein, we report the synthesis of new thiazolidine-4-one derivatives endowed with inhibitory potencies in the micromolar range against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. In silico studies shed light on the key structural requirements responsible for binding to highly conserved enzymatic residues, showing that the thiazolidinone core acts as a mimetic of the Gln amino acid of the natural substrate and the central role of the nitro-substituted aromatic portion in establishing π-π stacking interactions with the catalytic His-41 residue.

Green design and synthesis of some novel thiazolidinone appended benzothiazole-triazole hybrids as antimicrobial agents

The global increase in bacterial resistance poses a significant threat, jeopardizing the effectiveness of antibiotics. Therefore, the development of new and efficient antimicrobial agents is pre-dominant. Taking this into consideration, in the present study, we designed and reported the facile synthesis of two novel series benzothiazole-triazole and thiazolidinone-appended benzothiazole-triazole hybrids using a molecular hybridization approach in a one-pot process. The synthesized compounds were tested for microbial growth inhibition against bacterial and fungal strains. Among all the synthetics, compounds derived from methoxyphenyl and heteroaromatic ring substitutions exhibited promising inhibitory activity. The current investigation has emphasized that benzothiazole-triazole hybrids incorporating thiazolidinone can be a promising and potent category of molecules with potential biological activities. This sustainable and eco-friendly protocol involves the metal-free, catalyst-free synthesis of bioactive scaffolds, which merges broad tolerance for functional groups with a short reaction time, resulting in good to excellent yields.

Thiazole: A Versatile Standalone Moiety Contributing to the Development of Various Drugs and Biologically Active Agents

For many decades, the thiazole moiety has been an important heterocycle in the world of chemistry. The thiazole ring consists of sulfur and nitrogen in such a fashion that the pi (π) electrons are free to move from one bond to other bonds rendering aromatic ring properties. On account of its aromaticity, the ring has many reactive positions where donor–acceptor, nucleophilic, oxidation reactions, etc., may take place. Molecules containing a thiazole ring, when entering physiological systems, behave unpredictably and reset the system differently. These molecules may activate/stop the biochemical pathways and enzymes or stimulate/block the receptors in the biological systems. Therefore, medicinal chemists have been focusing their efforts on thiazole-bearing compounds in order to develop novel therapeutic agents for a variety of pathological conditions. This review attempts to inform the readers on three major classes of thiazole-bearing molecules: Thiazoles as treatment drugs, thiazoles in clinical trials, and thiazoles in preclinical and developmental stages. A compilation of preclinical and developmental thiazole-bearing molecules is presented, focusing on their brief synthetic description and preclinical studies relating to structure-based activity analysis. The authors expect that the current review may succeed in drawing the attention of medicinal chemists to finding new leads, which may later be translated into new drugs.

Synthesis of new 2-(5-(5-nitrofuran-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-one derivatives as anti-MRSA and anti-H. pylori agents

In this work, we have synthesized twenty five new 2-(5-(5-nitrofuran-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-one derivatives bearing an aryl or heteroaryl methylene group on position 5 of thiazolidinone and evaluated their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria as well as three metronidazole resistant Helicobacter pylori strains. Most of the compounds were very potent towards tested Gram-positive bacteria and showed an antibacterial efficacy substantially greater than ampicillin as the reference drug. However, no effectiveness was observed for the Gram-negative microorganisms. The compounds 9, 20 and 29 exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori strains (inhibition zone > 30 mm) in 100 μg/disc and (inhibition zone > 20 mm) in 50 μg/disc. Taking these findings together, it seems that these potent antibacterial derivatives could be considered as promising agents for developing new anti-infectious drugs against microorganisms resistant to currently available antibiotics.

Potential Fluorinated Anti-MRSA thiazolidinone derivatives with antibacterial, antitubercular activity and molecular docking studies

MRSA infection is one of the alarming diseases in the current scenario. Identifying newer molecules to treat MRSA infection is of urgent need. In the present study, we have designed fluorinated thiazolidinone derivatives with various aryl/heteroaryl units at 5 th position of the thiazolidinone core as promising anti-MRSA agents. All the compounds were screened for antibacterial activity against four bacterial strains. Among the tested compounds, the halogenated compounds with simple arylidene ring, 5-(3-chloro-2-fluorobenzylidene)-2-(thiazol-2-ylamino)thiazol-4(5H)-one ( 4b) , 5-(4-chloro-2-fluorobenzylidene)-2-(thiazol-2-ylamino)thiazol-4(5H)-one ( 4c ), 5-(3-fluoro-4-methylbenzylidene)-2-(thiazol-2-ylamino)thiazol-4(5H)-one ( 4f ) and 5-(3,5-difluorobenzylidene)-2-(thiazo-2-ylamino)thiazol-4(5H)-one ( 4g) showed excellent activity with MIC 3.125-6.25 µg/mL against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa organism. Furthermore, these potent compounds were screened against MRSA strains, ESKAPE panel organism, and H37Rv mycobacterium strain. Compounds 4c (MIC 0.39 µg/mL), and 4f (MIC 0.39 and 0.79 µg/mL) displayed promising activity against MRSA strains (ATCC and clinical isolates, respectively). The most potent compounds, 4c and 4f eradicated the growth of bacterial colonies in a time-kill assay indicated that these are bactericidal in nature. The preliminary toxicity study of the potent molecules revealed that these compounds are non-hemolytic in nature as they did not induce lysis in human RBCs. In addition, the molecular docking and dynamics studies of compounds 4b , 4c , 4f and 4g were carried out on MurB protein of S. aureus (PDB code: 1HSK). Docking results demonstrated remarkable hydrogen bonding interaction with key amino acids ARG310, ASN83, GLY79 and π-π interactions with TYR149 which confirm the mode of action of the molecules.

Efficiency of Homology Modeling Assisted Molecular Docking in G-protein Coupled Receptors

BACKGROUND

Molecular docking is in regular practice to assess ligand affinity on a target protein crystal structure. In the absence of protein crystal structure, the homology modeling or comparative modeling is the best alternative to elucidate the relationship details between a ligand and protein at the molecular level. The development of accurate homology modeling (HM) and its integration with molecular docking (MD) is essential for successful, rational drug discovery.

OBJECTIVE

The G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are attractive therapeutic targets due to their immense role in human pharmacology. The GPCRs are membrane-bound proteins with the complex constitution, and the understanding of their activation and inactivation mechanisms is quite challenging. Over the past decade, there has been a rapid expansion in the number of solved G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) crystal structures; however, the majority of the GPCR structures remain unsolved. In this context, HM guided MD has been widely used for structure-based drug design (SBDD) of GPCRs.

METHODS

The focus of this review is on the recent (i) developments on HM supported GPCR drug discovery in the absence of GPCR crystal structures and (ii) application of HM in understanding the ligand interactions at the binding site, virtual screening, determining receptor subtype selectivity and receptor behaviour in comparison with GPCR crystal structures.

RESULTS

The HM in GPCRs has been extremely challenging due to the scarcity in template structures. In such a scenario, it is difficult to get accurate HM that can facilitate understanding of the ligand-receptor interactions. This problem has been alleviated to some extent by developing refined HM based on incorporating active /inactive ligand information and inducing protein flexibility. In some cases, HM proteins were found to outscore crystal structures.

CONCLUSION

The developments in HM have been highly operative to gain insights about the ligand interaction at the binding site and receptor functioning at the molecular level. Thus, HM guided molecular docking may be useful for rational drug discovery for the GPCRs mediated diseases.

Novel Thiazole-Based Thiazolidinones as Potent Anti-infective Agents: In silico PASS and Toxicity Prediction, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Molecular Modelling

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

The infectious disease treatment remains a challenging concern owing to the increasing number of pathogenic microorganisms associated with resistance to multiple drugs. A promising approach for combating microbial infection is to combine two or more known bioactive heterocyclic pharmacophores in one molecular platform. Herein, the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel thiazole-thiazolidinone hybrids as potential antimicrobial agents were dissimilated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The preparation of the substituted 5-benzylidene-2-thiazolyimino-4- thiazolidinones was achieved in three steps from 2-amino-5-methylthiazoline. All the compounds have been screened in PASS antibacterial activity prediction and in a panel of bacteria and fungi strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bacterial concentration were both determined by microdilution assays. Molecular modeling was conducted using Accelrys Discovery Studio 4.0 client. ToxPredict (OPEN TOX) and ProTox were used to estimate the toxicity of the title compounds.

RESULTS

PASS prediction revealed the potentiality antibacterial property of the designed thiazolethiazolidinone hybrids. All tested compounds were found to kill and to inhibit the growth of a vast variety of bacteria and fungi, and were more potent than the commercial drugs, streptomycin, ampicillin, bifomazole and ketoconazole. Further, in silico study was carried out for prospective molecular target identification and revealed favorable interaction with the target enzymes E. coli MurB and CYP51B of Aspergillus fumigatus. Toxicity prediction revealed that none of the active compounds was found toxic.

CONCLUSION

Substituted 5-benzylidene-2-thiazolyimino-4-thiazolidinones, endowing remarkable antibacterial and antifungal properties, were identified as a novel class of antimicrobial agents and may find a potential therapeutic use to eradicate infectious diseases.

3-Amino-5-(indol-3-yl)methylene-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidine Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents: Synthesis, Computational and Biological Evaluation

Herein we report the design, synthesis, computational, and experimental evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of fourteen new 3-amino-5-(indol-3-yl) methylene-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidine derivatives. The structures were designed, and their antimicrobial activity and toxicity were predicted in silico. All synthesized compounds exhibited antibacterial activity against eight Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Their activity exceeded those of ampicillin and (for the majority of compounds) streptomycin. The most sensitive bacterium was S. aureus (American Type Culture Collection ATCC 6538), while L. monocytogenes (NCTC 7973) was the most resistant. The best antibacterial activity was observed for compound 5d (Z)-N-(5-((1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)-4-hydroxybenzamide (Minimal inhibitory concentration, MIC at 37.9–113.8 μM, and Minimal bactericidal concentration MBC at 57.8–118.3 μM). Three most active compounds 5d, 5g, and 5k being evaluated against three resistant strains, Methicillin resistant Staphilococcus aureus (MRSA), P. aeruginosa, and E. coli, were more potent against MRSA than ampicillin (MIC at 248–372 μM, MBC at 372–1240 μM). At the same time, streptomycin (MIC at 43–172 μM, MBC at 86–344 μM) did not show bactericidal activity at all. The compound 5d was also more active than ampicillin towards resistant P. aeruginosa strain. Antifungal activity of all compounds exceeded those of the reference antifungal agents bifonazole (MIC at 480–640 μM, and MFC at 640–800 μM) and ketoconazole (MIC 285–475 μM and MFC 380–950 μM). The best activity was exhibited by compound 5g. The most sensitive fungal was T. viride (IAM 5061), while A. fumigatus (human isolate) was the most resistant. Low cytotoxicity against HEK-293 human embryonic kidney cell line and reasonable selectivity indices were shown for the most active compounds 5d, 5g, 5k, 7c using thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide MTT assay. The docking studies indicated a probable involvement of E. coli Mur B inhibition in the antibacterial action, while CYP51 inhibition is likely responsible for the antifungal activity of the tested compounds.

Thiazoles, Their Benzofused Systems, and Thiazolidinone Derivatives: Versatile and Promising Tools to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Thiazoles, their benzofused systems, and thiazolidinone derivatives are widely recognized as nuclei of great value for obtaining molecules with various biological activities, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, antidiabetic, antitumor, and antimicrobial. In particular, in the past decade, many compounds bearing these heterocycles have been studied for their promising antibacterial properties due to their action on different microbial targets. Here we assess the recent development of this class of compounds to address mechanisms underlying antibiotic resistance at both bacterial-cell and community levels (biofilms). We also explore the SAR and the prospective clinical application of thiazole and its benzofused derivatives, which act as inhibitors of mechanisms underlying antibiotic resistance in the treatment of severe drug-resistant infections. In addition, we examined all bacterial targets involved in their antimicrobial activity reporting, when described, their spontaneous frequencies of resistance.

Facile Synthesis of 6-Phenyl-6h-chromeno [4, 3-b] Quinoline Derivatives using NaHSO4@SiO2 Re-usable Catalyst and Their Antibacterial Activity Study Correlated by Molecular Docking Studies

Background:

Heterocyclic compounds containing heteroatoms (O, N and S) as part of five or six-membered cyclic moieties exhibited various potential applications, such as pharmaceutical drugs, agrochemical products and organic materials. Among many known heterocyclic moieties, quinoline and its derivatives are one of the privileged scaffolds found in many natural products. In general, quinoline derivatives could be prepared by utilizing ortho-substituted anilines and carbonyl compounds containing a reactive α-methylene group of well-known reaction routes like Friedlander synthesis, Niemantowski synthesis and Pfitzinger synthesis. Moreover, polysubstituted quinolones and their derivatives also had shown considerable interest in the fields of organic and pharmaceutical chemistry in recent years.

Objective:

The main objective of our research work is towards the design and synthesis of divergent biological-oriented, proactive analogues with potential pharmacological value inspired by the anti-tubercular activity of 2-phenylquinoline analogues. In this study, we have been interested in the design and synthesis of bioactive, 2, 4-diphenyl, 8-arylated quinoline analogues.

Methods:

6-phenyl-6h-chromeno [4, 3-b] quinoline derivatives were synthesized from 4-chloro-2- phenyl-2H-chromene-3-carbaldehyde and various substituted aromatic anilines as starting materials using sodium bisulfate embedded SiO2 re-usable catalyst. All these fifteen new compound structures confirmed by spectral data 1H & 13C NMR, Mass, CHN analysis etc. Furthermore, all these new compounds antibacterial activity strains recorded using the paper disc method. The compound molecular structures were designed using molecular docking study by utilizing the crystallographic parameters of S. Areus Murb protein.

Results:

A series of fifteen new quinoline derivatives synthesized in moderate to good yields using sodium bisulfate embedded SiO2 re-usable catalyst. The molecular structures of these newly synthesized compounds elucidated by the combination of spectral data along with the elemental analysis. These compounds antibacterial activity study have shown moderate to good activity against, Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) organisms. These antibacterial activity results were also a very good correlation with molecular docking studies.

Conclusion:

In this study, fifteen new quinoline derivatives synthesized and structures confirmed by spectral data. In fact, all the compounds have shown moderate to good antibacterial activity. In general, the compounds containing the electron donor group at R1 position (R1 = OMe) and the acceptor group at R2 positions (R2 = F or Cl) had shown good antibacterial activity. These antibacterial activity results were also a very good correlation with molecular docking studies showing strong binding energies with the highest value being, -12.45 Kcal mol-1 with S. aureus MurB receptor.

Heterocycle Compounds with Antimicrobial Activity

Background:

Bacterial infections are a growing problem worldwide causing morbidity and mortality mainly in developing countries. Moreover, the increased number of microorganisms, developing multiple resistances to known drugs, due to abuse of antibiotics, is another serious problem. This problem becomes more serious for immunocompromised patients and those who are often disposed to opportunistic fungal infections.

Objective:

The objective of this manuscript is to give an overview of new findings in the field of antimicrobial agents among five-membered heterocyclic compounds. These heterocyclic compounds especially five-membered attracted the interest of the scientific community not only for their occurrence in nature but also due to their wide range of biological activities.

Method:

To reach our goal, a literature survey that covers the last decade was performed.

Results:

As a result, recent data on the biological activity of thiazole, thiazolidinone, benzothiazole and thiadiazole derivatives are mentioned.

Conclusion:

It should be mentioned that despite the progress in the development of new antimicrobial agents, there is still room for new findings. Thus, research still continues.

Novel Thiazolidin-4-ones as Potential Non-nucleoside Inhibitors of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase

BACKGROUND

HIV is the causative agent of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), an infectious disease with increasing incidence worldwide. Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) play an important role in the treatment of AIDS. Although, many compounds are already being used as anti-HIV drugs, research for the development of new inhibitors continues as the virus develops resistant strains.

METHODS

The best features of available NNRTIs were taken into account for the design of novel inhibitors. PASS (Prediction of activity spectra for substances) prediction program and molecular docking studies for the selection of designed compounds were used for the synthesis. Compounds were synthesized using conventional and microwave irradiation methods and HIV RT inhibitory action was evaluated by colorimetric photometric immunoassay.

RESULTS

The evaluation of HIV-1 RT inhibitory activity revealed that seven compounds have significantly lower ΙC50 values than nevirapine (0.3 μΜ). It was observed that the activity of compounds depends not only on the nature of substituent and it position in benzothiazole ring but also on the nature and position of substituents in benzene ring.

CONCLUSION

Twenty four of the tested compounds exhibited inhibitory action lower than 4 μΜ. Seven of them showed better activity than nevirapine, while three of the compounds exhibited IC50 values lower than 5 nM. Two compounds 9 and 10 exhibited very good inhibitory activity with IC50 1 nM.

5-Adamantan thiadiazole-based thiazolidinones as antimicrobial agents. Design, synthesis, molecular docking and evaluation

In continuation of our efforts to develop new compounds with antimicrobial properties we describe design, synthesis, molecular docking study and evaluation of antimicrobial activity of seventeen novel 2-{[5-(adamantan-1-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl]-imino}-5-arylidene-1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones. All compounds showed antibacterial activity against eight Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial species. Twelve out of seventeen compounds were more potent than streptomycin and all compounds exhibited higher potency than ampicillin. Compounds were also tested against three resistant bacterial strains: MRSA, P. aeruginosa and E. coli. The best antibacterial potential against ATCC and resistant strains was observed for compound 8 (2-{[5-(adamantan-1-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl]-imino}-5-(4-nitrobenzylidene)-1,3thiazolidin-4-one). The most sensitive bacterium appeared to be S. typhimirium, followed by B. cereus while L. monocitogenes and M. flavus were the most resistant. Compounds were also tested for their antifungal activity against eight fungal species. All compounds exhibited antifungal activity better than the reference drugs bifonazole and ketokonazole (3-115 times). It was found that compound 8 appeared again to be the most potent. Molecular docking studies on E. coli MurB, MurA as well as C. albicans CYP 51 and dihydrofolate reductase were used for the prediction of mechanism of antibacterial and antifungal activities confirming the experimental results.

2-{[(4-Hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-4-oxo-1,3-thiazolidin-5-yl Acetic Acid

Thia-Michael addition of 2-[(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)methylidene]hydrazine-1-carbothioamide (1) with maleic anhydride results in the formation of the title compound 2-{[(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-4-oxo-1,3-thiazolidin-5-yl acetic acid 2. The precursor 1 is synthesized by the reaction of 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde and thiosemicarbazide in the presence of glacial acetic acid as the catalyst. The structure of the title compound is determined by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectral data. In order to determine the molecular interactions with the bacterial enzyme, the title compound is further docked into the active site of the MurB protein of Staphylococcus aureus (PDB ID: 1HSK). The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity of the title compound is carried out in order to appraise its antimicrobial efficacy by determination of zone of inhibition and minimal inhibitory concentration. The compound is also evaluated for its antioxidant property by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay.

New N-(2-phenyl-4-oxo-1,3-thiazolidin-3-yl)-1,2-benzothiazole-3-carboxamides and acetamides as antimicrobial agents

A series of 21 novel N-[2-phenyl-4-oxo-1,3-thiazolidin-3-yl]-1,2-benzothiazole-3-carboxamides/acetamides (4a-4p) as well as a series of N'-(halophenylmethylidene)-1,2-benzothiazole-3-acetohydrazides (3h-3p) have been synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against eight bacterial and eight fungal species, among them plant, animal and human pathogens and food contaminating species. All compounds appeared to be potent and the best activity was exhibited by compound 4d with MIC in the range of 10.7-21.4 μmol mL^-1 × 10^-2 and MBC of 21.4-40.2 μmol mL^-1 × 10^-2. The best antifungal activity was observed for compounds 4p and 3h. Elucidation of the relationship between the antimicrobial activity and molecular properties of the synthesized compounds was also performed. Synthetic intermediates were also tested with several exhibiting good antimicrobial activities. Docking studies for some compounds were performed.

The influence of intramolecular sulfur-lone pair interactions on small-molecule drug design and receptor binding

Sulfur-lone pair interactions are important conformational control elements in sulfur-containing heterocycles that abound in pharmaceuticals, natural products, agrochemicals, polymers and other important classes of organic molecules. Nonetheless, the role of intramolecular sulfur-lone pair interactions in the binding of small molecules to receptors is often overlooked. Here we analyze the magnitudes and origins of these interactions for a variety of biologically relevant small molecules using quantum chemical and automated docking calculations. In most cases examined in this study, the lowest energy conformation of the small molecule displays a sulfur-lone pair close contact. However, docking studies, both published and new, often predict that conformations without sulfur-lone pair contacts have the best binding affinity for their respective receptors. This is a serious problem. Since many of these predicted bound conformations are not actually energetically accessible, pursuing design (e.g., drug design) around these binding modes necessarily will lead, serendipity aside, to dead end designs. Our results constitute a caution that one best not neglect these interactions when predicting the binding affinities of potential ligands (drugs or not) for hosts (enzymes, receptors, DNA, RNA, synthetic hosts). Moreover, a better understanding and awareness of sulfur-lone pair interactions should facilitate the rational modulation of host-guest interactions involving sulfur-containing molecules.

Crystal structures of 3-(2H-1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylmethyl)-2-(m- and p-nitrophenyl)-1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones: different roles of the oxygen atoms

The crystal structures of two isomeric 3-(2H-1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylmethyl)-2-(aryl)-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one compounds (1: aryl=4-O2NC6H4; 2: aryl=3-O2NC6H4) are reported. In both these nonplanar, compounds, the carbonyl oxygen is involved in intramolecular C–H···O hydrogen bonds. However, there are significant differences in the sets of intermolecular interactions, in particular the roles of the oxygen atoms, exhibited by the two compounds. Thus in 1, a dioxolyl oxygen and the two nitro group oxygen atoms are each involved in different chain forming C–H···O intermolecular hydrogen bonds, while the carbonyl oxygen atom is not involved in any intermolecular interaction. In 2, the dioxolyl oxygen atom is involved in the formation of centrosymmetric dimers, the carbonyl oxygen in three different C–H···O hydrogen bonds and the nitro group oxygens in two N–O···π(aryl) interactions. Compound 2 exhibits also C–H···π(phenyl), π(phenyl)···π(phenyl) and π(benzodioxolyl)···π(benzodioxolyl) interactions, while in 1 only the latter interaction is present. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group, P21/a with Z=4, while compound 2 crystallizes in the triclinic space group, P1̅, with Z=2.

Ionic liquid-promoted one-pot synthesis of thiazole–imidazo[2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole hybrids and their antitubercular activity

The anti-TB activity of new thiazole–imidazo[2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazoles, which are synthesized via one-pot synthesis, is comparable with that of standard drugs.

Novel tetrazoloquinoline–thiazolidinone conjugates as possible antitubercular agents: synthesis and molecular docking

Synthesis of new tetrazoloquinoline–thiazolidinone conjugates were achieved via one-pot three-component cyclocondensation in the presence of [DBUH][OAc] and studied antitubercular activity.

Facile synthesis of new N-sulfonamidyl-4-thiazolidinone derivatives and their biological evaluation

A one-pot three-component facile synthesis of N-sulfonamidyl-4-thiazolidinone derivatives using a [HDBU][HSO₄] reusable ionic liquid was carried out, together with an investigation into their antifungal and antioxidant properties and a molecular docking study.