This study reports the green synthesis of 11 novel 3-substituted-4-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole derivatives using water as a readily available nontoxic solvent. Evaluation of their antimicrobial potential against several clinical pathogenic microorganisms was carried out. The newly synthesized cysteine derivative 6 showed promising antifungal activity against both γ-irradiated and nonirradiated Candida parapsilosis 216, with the lowest MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) value of 3.125 µg/ml, probably through inhibition of 14α-demethylase. In addition, compound 6 showed complete inhibition of gelatinase, a virulence enzyme of C. parapsilosis. Also, scanning electron microscopy was carried out. Interestingly, compound 6 acted as a dual agent as it also showed good antibacterial activity against strains of Gram-positive bacteria used in the study. The synthesized compounds showed no cytotoxicity.
Keywords: antibacterial activity; antifungal activity; antimicrobial activity; rational drug design; triazoles.
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