Novel Set of Highly Substituted Bis-pyridines: Synthesis, Molecular Docking and Drug-Resistant Antibacterial Profile

Aims: Development of antimicrobial agents having the ability to prevent bacterial biofilm formation which causes serious health problems, especially with antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Materials and methods: The use of 1,3-diaryl enones as structural motifs to access the pyridine core. Antimicrobial activities of the synthesized compounds against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus bacterial strains were investigated. Results: The newly synthesized bis-enones were used as building blocks to access some novel highly substituted bis-pyridine derivatives. Several novel bis-compounds showed great bacterial biofilm eradication activity. Conclusion: A new series of bis-chalcones was synthesized and their structural diversity was exploited to access the corresponding, more biologically active, pyridine core. These bis-pyridines showed respectable antibacterial activities against various drug-resistant bacterial strains: namely, methicillin-susceptible, methicillin-resistant and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus.