Synthesis and antitubercular activities of acetamide-substituted benzazole derivatives

Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains' increasing emergence and rapid spread necessitate the urgent development of innovative antimycobacterial agents. In pursuit of novel agents, a series of N-(benzazole-2-ylmethyl)-2-substituted phenylacetamide or N-(benzazole-2-ylmethyl)-2-(thiophen-2-yl)acetamide compounds (6-11) were synthesized. Their efficacy against multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis was assessed. Compounds exhibited potent antimycobacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 1.05 to 4.10 µM and demonstrated low cytotoxicity towards fibroblast cell line (L929). ADMET predictions suggested that these synthesized compounds possess drug-like properties. Our findings offer a promising starting point for designing more selective and potent antimycobacterial agents.