Design, synthesis, antimicrobial evaluation and molecular docking studies of some new 2,3-dihydrothiazoles and 4-thiazolidinones containing sulfisoxazole

<div><p></p><p>Microbial resistance to the available drugs poses a serious threat in modern medicine. We report the design, synthesis and <i>in vitro</i> antimicrobial evaluation of new functionalized 2,3-dihydrothiazoles and 4-thiazolidinones tagged with sulfisoxazole moiety. Compound <b>8d</b> was most active against <i>Bacillis subtilis</i> (MIC, 0.007 µg/mL). Moreover, compounds <b>7c</b>–<b>d</b> and <b>8c</b> displayed significant activities against <i>B. subtilis</i> and <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> (MIC, 0.03–0.06 µg/mL and 0.06–0.12 µg/mL versus ampicillin 0.24 µg/mL and 0.12 µg/mL; respectively). Compounds <b>7a</b> and <b>7c</b>–<b>d</b> were highly potent against <i>Escherichia coli</i> (MIC, 0.49–0.98 µg/mL versus gentamycin 1.95 µg/mL). On the other hand, compounds <b>7e</b> and <b>9c</b> were fourfolds more active than amphotericin B against <i>Syncephalastrum racemosum</i>. Molecular docking studies showed that the synthesized compounds could act as inhibitors for the dihydropteroate synthase enzyme (DHPS). This study is a platform for the future design of more potent antimicrobial agents.</p></div