Synthesis, evaluation, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics studies of novel N-(4-[pyridin-2-yloxy]benzyl)arylamine derivatives as potential antitubercular agents

A new series of novel triclosan (2,4,4′-trichloro-2′-hydroxydiphenylether) analogues were designed, synthesized, and screened for their in vitro antimycobacterial and antibacterial activities. Most of the compounds showed significant activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in 20–40 μM range in GAST/Fe medium when compared with triclosan (43 μM) in the first week of assay, and after additional incubation, seven compounds, that is, 2a, 2c, 2g, 2h, 2i, 2j, and 2m, exhibited MIC values at the concentration of 20–40 μM. The compounds also showed more significant activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. The synthesized compounds showed druggable properties, and the predicted ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties were within the acceptable limits. The in silico studies predicted better interactions of compounds with target protein residues and a higher dock score in comparison with triclosan. Molecular dynamics simulation study of the most active compound 2i was performed in order to further explore the stability of the protein–ligand complex and the protein–ligand interaction in detail.