Title:Antimicrobial Activities of 1-H-Benzimidazole-based Molecules
VOLUME: 16 ISSUE: 26
Author(s):Zeynep Ates-Alagoz
Affiliation:Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara University, Tandogan 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
Keywords:Benzimidazole, Heterocyclic compounds, Antimicrobial, Antibacterial, MRSA, Drug discovery.
Abstract:Benzimidazole is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound which has been an important
pharmacophore and privileged structure in medicinal chemistry. Substituted benzimidazoles have
considerable interest as compounds with a wide spectrum of biological activity and low toxicity. Benzimidazole
derivatives are structurally related to purine nucleoside bases, which allow them to interact
easily with the biopolymers of the living systems. Different substituted benzimidazoles have an extensive
range of biological activities including: antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antiinflammatory,
anticancer, antioxidant, anticoagulant, antidiabetic and antihypertensive activities. Infectious
diseases are those whose incidence in humans has increased during the past few decades. They cause suffering
and death and an enormous financial burden. Antimicrobial drugs have saved the lives of millions of people. However, the
dramatic increase in drug-resistant microbes is threatening to reverse medical progress of the past 50 years. Benzimidazoles
are very effective compounds with respect to their bacteria inhibitory activity. Biochemical and pharmacological
studies have showed that these molecules are effective against various strains of microorganisms. Some benzimidazole
compounds inhibit the biosynthesis of ergosterol, required in the cell membrane of fungi and protozoa and a useful target
for antifungal drugs. The result of many efforts to develop new molecules for effective antimicrobials reveals that the
benzimidazoles are still one of the most versatile class of compounds against microbes.
