Novel pyrazoline-thiazole hybrids containing azo group as antibacterial agents: design, synthesis, in vitro bioactivity, in silico molecular docking, ADME profile and DFT studies

In this study, we have investigated a strategy for designing some novel pyrazoline-thiazole hybrids containing azo moiety. The synthesized compounds were structurally characterized and their antibacterial activity was in vitro evaluated against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria using the inhibition zone method. The antibacterial activity of the tested compounds was moderate to good. Compound 12c showed the best activity compared to the standard drug (Ampicillin) against S. aureus and E. coli at the concentration of 0.16 mg/mL, with the highest inhibition zone diameters of 34 mm and 37 mm, respectively. Moreover, in silico molecular docking and ADME profile studies were investigated in order to understand the binding affinity and interactions along with the ADME properties of all designed hybrids. Additionally, Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out at the B3LYP/6-311G++ level of theory. The study involved an examination of the optimized geometry, molecular electrostatic potential map, and the HOMO → LUMO electronic energy gap. In accordance with the findings, the newly synthesized hybrids could be beneficial for medicine and exhibit antibacterial activity.