Synthesis and evaluation of new quinazolone derivatives of nalidixic acid as potential antibacterial and antifungal agents.

In continuation of our work on synthesis of biheterocycles carrying the biodynamic heterocyclic systems at position 3, a series of new nalidixic acid derivatives having quinazolones moiety were synthesised to achieve enhanced biological activity and wide spectrum of activity. Nalidixic acid was first converted into its acid chloride using thionyl chloride as an acylating agent at laboratory temperature. Later it was converted to methyl ester. Nalidixoyl chloride formed vigorously reacts with methanol to give a methyl ester of nalidixic acid. The ester on addition of hydrazine hydrate furnished nalidixic acid hydrazide. Appropriate anthranilic acid was refluxed with acetic anhydride to form Benzoxazine/Acetanthranil. 5-iodo-derivative of anthranilic acid was prepared and also utilised to obtain 6-iodo-Benzoxazine/Acetanthranil. Also, 6-nitro-Benzoxazine/Acetanthranil was obtained by nitration of acetanthranil using conc. H(2)SO(4) and fuming HNO(3). Equimolar proportions of the appropriate synthesised acetanthranils and nalidixic acid hydrazide in the presence of ethanol were refluxed to synthesise quinazolones. Elemental analysis and IR spectra confirmed nalidixic acid hydrazide formation. The structures of the compounds obtained have been established on the basis of Spectral (IR, (1)H NMR and mass) data. The current study also involves in vitro antimicrobial screening (using Agar dilution and Punch well diffusion method) of synthesised quinazolone derivatives bearing nalidixic acid moiety on randomly collected microbial strains. The derivatives Ga (NAH), Gb (QN) and Gd (NiQNA) showed marked inhibitory activity against enteric pathogen like Aeromonas hydrophila, a causative agent of diarrhoea in both children as well as adults. Among the respiratory pathogens included in study, derivative Gd (NiQNA) was found to be active against Streptococcus pyogenes. No significant inhibitory activity was seen by any of synthesised derivatives against Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. Derivative Ga (NAH) was found to show very high activity against the Candida colonies and derivative Gd (NiQNA) was also found to exhibit inhibitory activity against Candida albicans; a normal flora of the human body which plays an important role in causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised hosts. Proteus vulgaris, a gram-negative bacteria included in our study was found to be inhibited by derivative Gb (QN).