MIC–MBC Measurements and Molecular Docking Studies of 4,6‐Dimethoxy‐1‐Benzofurane Substituted Chalcone Derivatives

Chalcones and their derivatives have been extensively researched due to their wide range of pharmacological and biological activities, such as anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antitumor effects. The investigation of compounds such as chalcones has become necessary due to the increasing resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs. In this study, a facile and conventional method was used for the synthesis of 1‐(2,4‐dimethoxy‐1‐benzofuran‐2‐yl)‐3‐(substituted aryl)‐2‐propen‐1‐ones ( Compounds 2–7 ) via a Claisen–Schmidt condensation reaction of 1‐(2,4‐dimethoxy‐1‐benzofuran‐2‐yl)ethanone ( 1 ) with suitable aromatic aldehydes and NaOH in the presence of methanol as a solvent. The structures of all the synthesized compounds were confirmed by NMR, elemental analysis, and FT‐IR spectral techniques. Using the agar well method, the antimicrobial properties of chalcone derivatives were evaluated against bacterial strains and fungi ( Escherichia coli ATCC 25322, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 70060, Bacillus megaterium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans FMC 17). As a result, these compounds showed high antimicrobial activity against many of these microorganisms. In this study, Compound 2 showed the highest antimicrobial activity against C. albicans at a concentration of 400 µg/mL with a zone diameter of 19 mm. Compound 6 also showed the highest antimicrobial activity against E. coli at a concentration of 400 µg/mL with a zone diameter of 19 mm. To explore the potential antimicrobial mechanisms underlying the observed antimicrobial activities, all synthesized chalcone derivatives ( Compounds 1–7 ) were subjected to molecular docking against three essential bacterial targets: FabI, MurA, and FtsZ. Molecular docking analyses and calculation of binding affinities were performed using PyRx software.