Design, Synthesis and <i>in Vitro</i>Antibacterial Activity of 2-thiomethyl-benzimidazole Derivatives

A series of novel substituted benzimidazole (7a - n) derivatives were synthesized and characterized by 1H, 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS). The substitution was done in position -1 and -2 by appropriate groups. These compounds are obtained by N-alkylation reaction with thiomethyl-1H-benzimidazole intermediates (5a - g). Design of intermediates (5a - g) was made by condensation reaction between 2-methylbenzimidazole thiourunium salt (3) and functionalized halides (4) in the presence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Among the twenty-one compounds synthesized, ten were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity on three bacterial strains namely: Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. Only E. coli ATTC 25922 was susceptible to the synthesized derivatives 5g, 7f and 7h with a significant antibacterial activity (CMI is between 250 and 500 μg/mL).