Design, synthesis and antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activity evaluation of novel resveratrol derivatives

Resveratrol, a stilbene in soybeans, grapes, pines, legumes, pomegranates, and peanuts, exhibits varied bioactivity. It is antioxidant, provides photoprotection, demonstrates anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, cardioprotective, antiestrogenic, anticancer, and antimicrobial effects, while also inhibit platelet aggregation. This study reports design, synthesis, and biological activity of its 3 (d1-d3) new diazo derivatives using bioisoster strategy. In DPPH test, d1 showed excellent antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 19.95 µg/mL), close to resveratrol (IC₅₀ = 21.23 µg/mL). Anticancer properties, estimated by brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT), showed appreciable LC₅₀ value of 70.4 μg/mL for d3, again near to resveratrol (LC₅₀ = 73.4 μg/mL). In MTT cytotoxicity test, d2 recorded LC₅₀ value of 30.7 μg/mL, considerably better than resveratrol (LC₅₀ = 72.3 µg/mL). In antimicrobial tests, d3 appeared very effective against eight bacterial and two fungal pathogenic strains. These findings candidate the derivatives as suitable ingredients for application in pharmaceutical and/or food industries after necessary supplementary studies.