Metal Complexes and AuNP Formulations of a Moxifloxacin–Salicylaldehyde Hydrazone: Synthesis, Coordination Features, and Biological Evaluation

Moxifloxacin-based Schiff-base ligands provide a useful platform for tuning the coordination and biological properties of fluoroquinolone derivatives. Here, a moxifloxacin–salicylaldehyde hydrazone ligand (MOX-S) was prepared and coordinated with cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II), oxovanadium(IV), and gadolinium(III) ions to obtain a series of metal complexes. Citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were also prepared and functionalized with MOX-S and the Cu(II) complex to evaluate the effect of nanoformulation on biological performance. The compounds were characterized using complementary analytical, spectroscopic, magnetic, thermal, and microscopic techniques. The combined data support 1:2 metal-to-ligand formulations for the complexes and indicate coordination mainly through the azomethine nitrogen and oxygen donor sites of MOX-S. In antimicrobial screening, the activity was strongly metal- and organism-dependent. Cu–MOX-S and VO–MOX-S showed the most pronounced activity against Gram-positive bacteria, with inhibition zones of up to 30 mm, while Cu–MOX-S displayed MIC values of 19.53 and 39.06 µg mL⁻¹ against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Cytotoxicity assays showed that MOX-S was more active than moxifloxacin against MCF-7 and HepG2 cells, while Cu–MOX-S showed enhanced potency, particularly toward HepG2 cells, with an IC₅₀ of 0.98 µM and a selectivity index of 5.97. AuNP formulations further increased the apparent antiproliferative potency in the tested cancer cell lines, giving sub-micromolar IC₅₀ values. Computational analyses, including DFT-based electronic descriptors and molecular docking, provided qualitative support for the experimentally observed coordination and cytotoxicity trends. Overall, metal coordination and AuNP formulations provide complementary strategies for modulating the physicochemical and in vitro biological behavior of this moxifloxacin-derived hydrazone scaffold.