Design, Synthesis, in Vitro Antibacterial, Antidiabetic, and in Silico Studies of Triazolyl Linked Derivatives of Diosgenin via an Efficient Synthetic Pathway

Abstract

Diosgenin, a steroid saponin in various plant species, has been described as a promising bioactive biomolecule with a wide range of significant therapeutic benefits, including antibacterial, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and hypolipidemic effects. A different and unique synthesis method is demonstrated in this research article to get better and high-yield products. All the 12 synthesized compounds were well-characterized by FTIR, ¹HNMR,¹³CNMR, and HRMS. Post synthesis and characterization, all the compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activity against standards of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, wherein compounds 3b and 3c showed the highest zone of inhibition. Significant zone of inhibition was observed in case of compound 3c measuring 27 and 28 mm against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Additionally, the compounds were evaluated for antidiabetic activity. The compounds 3c and 3d showed high α-amylase inhibition (81.53% and 80.22% at 120 µg/mL, respectively). All compounds were screened using molecular docking approach against particular target proteins (IT₂P and Ompc) for gram-positive and gram-negative strains. Among all compounds, 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3h showed the highest docking score representing their potential binding affinity to inhibit the target activity.