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Schiff Bases and Their Metal Complexes: Structure, Synthesis, and Biological Application

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 1535

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: medicinal chemistry; coordination chemistry; cancer research; antimicrobial activity; enzyme inhibition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Schiff bases are bioactive molecules, with 41 approved for therapeutic use as antimicrobial, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and CNS drugs. They form metal complexes in which metals introduce properties inaccessible to pure organic compounds, such as additional coordination numbers, redox behaviour, and, in some cases, radioactivity and paramagnetism. Therefore, Schiff base metal complexes show different reactivity and, consequently, new modes of action that often result in better activity than their organic counterparts. They can also be activated by external stimuli such as electromagnetic radiation, sound, and heat. Such properties enable their use not only in the treatment but also in the diagnosis of various diseases.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original studies on all aspects related to the advancement of Schiff bases and their metal complexes as bioactive and diagnostic agents for therapeutic and pharmaceutical uses. The Issue will also cover reports dealing with clinical or pure model submissions involving biomolecular experiments.

Dr. Nenad Filipovic
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • hydrazones
  • (thio/seleno)semicarbazones
  • oximes
  • antimicrobial activity
  • anticancer activity
  • enzyme inhibition
  • metal complexes
  • diagnostic agents
  • photothermal therapy
  • photodynamic therapy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

34 pages, 4387 KB  
Article
Novel Pyridine-Based Thiazolyl-Hydrazone as a Promising Attenuator of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pathogenicity by Targeting Quorum Sensing
by Anabela Borges, Sanja Kokanov, Miguel M. Leitão, Predrag Ristić, Irena Novaković, Vladimir Dobričić, Milan Nikolić, Mire Zloh, Tamara R. Todorović, Manuel Simões and Nenad R. Filipović
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(4), 1784; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27041784 - 12 Feb 2026
Viewed by 805
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm-associated infections present higher recalcitrance to antimicrobial treatments, contributing to persistent and difficult-to-treat infections. Quorum sensing (QS) regulates various cellular processes that are important for the establishment and survival of microbial communities on the host. However, QS inhibitors for the treatment [...] Read more.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm-associated infections present higher recalcitrance to antimicrobial treatments, contributing to persistent and difficult-to-treat infections. Quorum sensing (QS) regulates various cellular processes that are important for the establishment and survival of microbial communities on the host. However, QS inhibitors for the treatment of P. aeruginosa biofilms remain under-researched, partly due to the complexity of QS signalling pathways and the challenge of developing non-toxic inhibitors. Herein, the bioactivity of 2-{(2E)-2-[1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinyl}-1,3-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid (TTNF37), a novel pyridine-based thiazolyl-hydrazone (PTH), was investigated. The compound antimicrobial activity was evaluated against a broad spectrum of microorganisms, its antioxidant potential was assessed using different assays, and its QS-inhibitory effect on P. aeruginosa was studied using bioreporter strains. The effect on P. aeruginosa biofilm formation was analysed in terms of biomass, culturability, and metabolic activity, structure, and cell membrane integrity, while virulence factors were evaluated through absorbance measurements. In addition, molecular docking studies were performed to predict the drug’s interactions with essential QS proteins and biological targets. TTNF37 exhibited potent antimicrobial activity with low to moderate minimum inhibitory concentrations against clinically relevant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, as well as fungi and yeasts. It also showed antioxidant activity, with variable effectiveness across different radicals and systems. TTNF37 inhibited the 3-oxo-C12-HSL-dependent QS system of P. aeruginosa in a dose-dependent manner, with reductions ranging from 26% to 98%. It also impaired the production and detection of 3-oxo-C12-HSL, resulting in a 56% and 65% decrease in bioluminescence, respectively. Molecular docking studies revealed strong binding interactions with LasI and LasR proteins, with affinity values exceeding those of furvina, a known potent QS inhibitor. Molecular dynamics simulations validated stable TTNF37 binding to LasR and LasI. Both experimental and docking data indicate a significant interaction with human serum albumin (HSA). TTNF37 also significantly reduced pyocyanin production and prevented biofilm set-up with a reduction of 50% in biomass with pronounced alterations in biofilm structure. These results indicate the potential of TTNF37 and related PTHs for treating biofilm-associated infections. Full article
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