DESIGN, SYNTHESIS AND IN-SILICO STUDY OF NOVEL SERIES OF 2-PHENYL- 3-(5-SULFANYL-1,3,4-THIADIAZOL-2-YL)-1,3-THIAZOLIDIN-4-ONE DERIVATIVES WITH POTENTIAL ANTI-TUBERCULAR ACTIVITY

In an attempt to identify potential new agents active against tuberculosis with Shikimate kinase as the target, a novel series of 2-phenyl- 3-(5-sulfanyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives were synthesized by convenient one-pot three-component reaction of amine, aldehyde and mercaptoacetic acid on montmorillonite KSF clay as a solid acidic catalyst in good yields. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H-NMR and elemental analysis and were subjected for anti-tubercular activity by Microplate Alamar Blue Assay (MABA) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Docking and ADMET studies were used to better describe the titled compounds as potential anti-tubercular agents. The compound, 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(5-sulfanyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one(4j), was found to be the most active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv with MIC of 1.6 μg/ml and good drug likeness and dock scores. Molecular docking study revealed that the molecules fit well into the cavity of Shikimate kinase. Also, the molecular properties and bioactivity scores for the synthesized compounds obtained by in-silico studies were found to be within the acceptable range defined for human use revealing their potential as possible drug-like compounds. The anti-tubercular activity of the titled compounds was comparable to that of the standard drug Isoniazid and Ciprofloxacin. The results indicate that the synthesized thiadiazolyl-thiazolidinone derivatives may have an affinity towards Shikimate kinase active site which can be further explored for selective target based studies. Thus these compounds could act as a potential lead for further anti-tubercular studies.