A series of twelve new 2-(methylthio)-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxamide derivatives (1-12) were synthesized and their antiparasitic activity was tested in vitro against Giardia intestinalis, Trichomonas vaginalis and Entamoeba histolytica. Experimental evaluations showed IC50 values within the nanomolar range for all tested compounds, some showing higher activity than metronidazole and albendazole. A chemoinformatic study was used to compare the structure-activity relationship of the synthesized carboxamides with those of 91 previously studied benzimidazoles, and with some Nitazoxanide-N-methylbenzimidazole hybrids recently synthetized by our group. Compounds 1 and 3 were identified as prominent selective compounds against T. vaginalis and G. intestinalis, respectively, while compound 4 was found to be of broad spectrum against the three protozoans.
Keywords: Activity cliffs; Antiprotozoal activity; Benzimidazole derivatives; Carboxamide; Selectivity switches.
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