Applied Chemical Engineering

Synthesis, in silico, and biological evaluation of new schiff base derivatives as antibacterial and anti-breast cancer agents

Tamam Mahdi Salih

Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceucal Sciences, 10090, Baghdad, Iraq

Sarah Abdulhamza Hameed

Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceucal Sciences, 10090, Baghdad, Iraq

Ameer Mahmood Shaker

Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceucal Sciences, 10090, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i2.5919

Keywords: antimicrobial; anticancer; schiff base; MCF-7; molecular docking; EGFR receptor; G6P synthase

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Abstract

Three new Schiff base compounds (S1-S3) from 1-([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)ethan-1-amine and substituted-benzaldehydes are synthesized and biologically evaluated in this work. After microwave-assisted synthesis, the compounds were purified and structurally characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. Agar diffusion was used to test their antibacterial activities against pathogens such Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus anthracis, and Acinetobacter. The derivative S2 was the most antibacterial at all doses, with inhibitory zones greater than those of azithromycin in certain instances. The cytotoxicity studies on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line using MTT assay showed that derivatives S2 and S3 significantly inhibited cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, with derivative S2 having a lower IC50 than derivative S3, indicating greater potency, which depending on in silico molecular docking investigations, derivative S3 have substantial binding affinities to the EGFR receptor and glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase, respectively, with binding energies of -8.5 and -5.4 kcal/mol, and this study suggests Schiff base derivatives multipurpose antibacterial and anticancer applications, particularly against drug-resistant microorganisms and hormone-responsive breast cancer.

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