Synthesis and antimicrobial properties of methoxyethyl substituted benzimidazole-2-selenone derivatives

In this study, benzimidazolium salts containing alkyl substituents (1a-g) were synthesized by N-alkylation of benzimidazole with alkyl halides. Selenon compounds (2a-f) were synthesized from these precursor salts by reaction with selenium dioxide in basic medium. Structural characterization of the synthesized compounds was carried out by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Antimicrobial activity studies were performed by Disk Diffusion method in accordance with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) protocols. Inhibition zone areas were calculated against Gram-negative (E. coli ATCC 25922, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853), Gram-positive (S. aureus ATCC 29213) bacteria and yeast strains (C. albicans ATCC 90028, C. glabrata ATCC 2001). Ampicillin for bacteria and Caspofungin for yeasts were used as standard antibiotics as controls. The results revealed that the synthesized selenon complexes showed promising inhibition, especially against fungal pathogens. The findings indicate the potential of developing selenium compounds as antimicrobial agents.