Design, Synthesis, Antimicrobial Evaluation, and In Silico Insights of Novel Thiazole-Based Benzylidene Thiazolidinones as Gyrase Inhibitors

Abstract

This study reports the design, synthesis, and antimicrobial evaluation of novel thiazole-based benzylidene thiazolidinones. Starting from 4-thiazolidinone intermediates (3a and 3b), benzylidene derivatives (5a-l, 7a,b) and bis-derivatives (9a,b) were synthesized via condensation with aromatic aldehydes. In vitro antimicrobial screening against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeast, and fungi showed several compounds—especially 5 f and 5 h—exhibited significant activity comparable to gentamicin and fluconazole. Molecular docking against the Staphylococcus aureus gyrase-DNA complex further supported the experimental results, revealing strong binding affinities for select compounds, particularly 9b. These findings suggest the synthesized thiazolidinones are promising candidates for developing new antimicrobial agents targeting resistant pathogens.