Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking studies of novel benzimidazole derivatives

A novel series of N-substituted-benzimidazolyl linked para substituted benzylidene based molecules containing three pharmacologically potent hydrogen bonding parts namely; 2,4-thiazolidinedione (TZD: a 2,4-dicarbonyl), diethyl malonate (DEM: a 1,3-diester and an isooxazolidinedione analog) and methyl acetoacetate (MAA: a β-ketoester) (6a-11b) were synthesized and evaluated for in vitro α-glucosidase inhibition. The structure of the novel synthesized compounds was confirmed through the spectral studies (LC-MS, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT-IR). Comparative evaluation of these compounds revealed that the compound 9b showed maximum inhibitory potential against α-amylase and α-glucosidase giving an IC₅₀ value of 0.54 ± 0.01 μM. Furthermore, binding affinities in terms of G score values and hydrogen bond interactions between all the synthesized compounds and the AA residues in the active site of the protein (PDB code: 3TOP) to that of Acarbose (standard drug) were explored with the help of molecular docking studies. Compound 9b was considered as promising candidate of this series.