Synthesis and Antimicrobial Studies of 4-[3-(3-Fluorophenyl)-4-formyl-1<i>H</i>-pyrazol-1-yl]benzoic Acid and 4-[3-(4-Fluorophenyl)-4-formyl-1<i>H</i>-pyrazol-1-yl]benzoic Acid as Potent Growth Inhibitors of Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Abstract

Microbial resistance to antibiotics is an urgent and worldwide concern. Several pyrazole-derived hydrazones were synthesized by using benign reaction conditions. Several of these molecules are potent growth inhibitors of drug-resistant strains of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> with minimum inhibitory concentration values as low as 0.39 μg/mL. Furthermore, these molecules are nontoxic to human cells at high concentrations. Some of these molecules were tested for their ability to disrupt the bacterial membrane by using the SYTO-9/propidium iodide (BacLight) assay.