5-Nitro-heteroarylidene analogs of 2-thiazolylimino-4-thiazolidinones as a novel series of antibacterial agents

In the pursuit of novel antibacterial agents with the 2-thiazolylimino-4-thiazolidinone as a core structure, a series of 5-nitro-heteroarylidene and 5-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene) analogs of 2-thiazolylimino-5-arylidene-4-thiazolidinone were synthesized and their antibacterial activities were evaluated against some strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as Helicobacter pylori strains. Biological data indicated that 5-nitrofuran analog 5a and 5-nitroimidazole analog 7a containing no substitutions on the thiazole ring were the most potent compounds.