Bis-dihydroisoxazolines: Synthesis, Structural Elucidation, Antimicrobial Evaluation, and DNA Photocleavage Assay

Aim and objective: Isoxazole is an active core found in many drugs. The aim of this work was to synthesize bis-isoxazoline compounds and to analyze the effect of linker chain length on biological activities. Material and Methods: A simple, convenient, and efficient method for the conversion of bischalcones to new bis(4,5-dihydroisoxazole) derivatives was developed by using hydroxylamine hydrochloride under basic medium. Synthesized moieties were also evaluated for their antimicrobial potencies and DNA photocleavage assay. Results and Discussion: The synthesized compounds were more active than their chalcone precursors and the long-chain linkers (4e&4f) were more potent in antimicrobial, as well as in DNA photocleavage activity. Conclusion: It was found that many of the tested bischalcones and bis-isoxazolines exhibited moderate to significant antimicrobial activity against various strains. Furthermore, the present study also provides significant information and interesting outcomes regarding cyclization, increasing the length of linker chains, and their effects on the DNA photocleavage and antimicrobial activities.