Design, synthesis, and antimicrobial evaluation of 1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-<i>c</i>]pyrazole tethered carbohydrazide hybrids: exploring their <i>in silico</i> ADMET, ergosterol inhibition and ROS inducing potential.
Shareef MA, Sirisha K, Khan I, Sayeed IB, Jadav SS, Ramu G, Kumar CG, Kamal A, Babu BN.
A series of new 1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-<i>c</i>]pyrazole tethered carbohydrazide hybrids (<b>5a-u</b>) were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. Compounds <b>5d</b>, <b>5g</b>, <b>5j</b>, <b>5k</b> and <b>5q</b> demonstrated significant activity against the entire panel of test pathogens. Further, compounds <b>5d</b> and <b>5g</b> exhibited significant anti-<i>Candida</i> activity. These potential hybrids (<b>5d</b> and <b>5g</b>) also exhibited promising ergosterol biosynthesis inhibition against <i>Candida albicans</i>, which was further validated through molecular docking studies. Furthermore, compounds <b>5d</b> and <b>5g</b> caused intracellular ROS accumulation in <i>C. albicans</i> MTCC 3017 and were non-toxic to normal human lung cell line MRC5. <i>In silico</i> studies revealed that they demonstrated drug likeness and an appreciable pharmacokinetic profile. Overall, the findings demonstrate that <b>5d</b> and <b>5g</b> may be considered as promising leads for further development of new antifungal drugs.