Antifungal activity of 3-(heteroaryl-2-ylmethyl)thiazolidinone derivatives.

Thiazolidinones, synthesized from multicomponent reactions of 2-heteroarylmethylamine, arenealdehydes and mercaptoacetic acid, have been tested against six yeasts, namely Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. guilliermondii, Cryptococcus laurentii, Trichosporon asahii and Rhodotorula spp. The activities were expressed as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and the minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFC). The most affected yeasts were Rhodotorula spp and T. asahii. The cytotoxicities of the thiazolidinones against the fibroblast 3T3/NIH cell line are also described. The antifungal results and the low cytotoxicity of the compounds in this work provide good guides for the further development of active compounds.