Design, synthesis and biological profile of heterocyclic benzimidazole analogues as prospective antimicrobial and antiproliferative agents

Abstract Background Nitrogen containing heterocycles are widely used and investigated by pharmaceutical industry, as they are important in discovery and designing of new drug molecules. Drugs with a benzimidazole nucleus possess exclusive structural features and electron-rich atmosphere, which enable them to bind to a number of biologically important targets and result in a wide range of activities. This has served as the basis of the present study whereby new scaffolds with benzimidazole moiety were designed and synthesized. Methods The structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed by physicochemical and spectral means. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities by tube dilution and Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays, respectively. Results and conclusion The in vitro biological screening results revealed that compound Z24 exhibited promising antimicrobial and anticancer activities which are comparable to standards