Synthesis, Molecular Docking and Evaluation of 1,3,4-Oxadiazole-Isobenzofuran Hybrids as Antimicrobial and Anticancer Agents

In drug discovery, the hybridization of bioactive pharmacophores is a powerful tool for targeting enzymes involved in cancer and microbial cell growth. A combination of 1,3,4-oxadiazole and isobenzofuran may improve the antitumor and antimicrobial properties of the hybrid molecules. A series of hybrid molecules having 1,3,4-oxadiazole and isobenzofuran were synthesized and structural characterization was done by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and mass spectrometry. Molecular docking studies were performed to investigate binding interactions of compounds with proteins (PDB NO: 2R3J and 1GII), and the results were consistent with in vitro anticancer data. All the synthesized compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. faecalis (Gram-positive) and E. coli and P. aeruginosa (Gram-negative) bacterial strains. Among the synthesized compounds, 7a and 7b displayed good activity against the tested bacterial strains. Also, compounds were tested for their anti-tumor activity against breast cancer (MCF-7) and colon cancer (HCT-116) cell lines via SRB assay. In comparison to doxorubicin (1.14 μM), hybrids 7e (4.32 μM), 7f (4.15 μM), 7g (4.66 μM), and 7h (4.83 μM) demonstrated comparable IC₅₀ value against the HCT 116 cell line.