Journal of Sulfur Chemistry, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
This study aimed to synthesize and evaluate the anti-tuberculosis potential of a series of novel thiourea derivatives (1–4) containing halogenated pyridine and chlorobenzamide scaffolds. The compounds were synthesized via the reaction of appropriate pyridine derivatives with 2-chlorobenzoyl isothiocyanate and characterized by the FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and ESI-MS techniques. 6–311++G (d,p) mode and B3LYP method were used in the DFT analysis to calculate the HOMO–LUMO energies of ligands 3 and 4. The calculated HOMO–LUMO transition energies indicated that 3 and 4 have low chemical hardness and may have high chemical activity. The anti-tuberculosis activity of the synthesized thioureas was investigated via the microplate nitrate reductase test method (MNRA). The 1 and 2 show less antituberculosis effect. The 3 was found to have MIC values of 16 and 32 µg/ml against the ATCC35822 (INH-R) and the ATCC35837 (EMB-R) strains, respectively. The highest value was observed with the 4 (MIC 8–128 µg/ml). The meaningful decrease in the MIC values against all the bacteria strains including the MDR isolates, which have been chosen for their clinical aspects, indicating that compound 4 may serve as a promising lead compound for the development of new anti-tuberculosis agents.