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A current trend of research in the health field is toward the discovery of multifunctional compounds, capable of interacting with multiple biological targets, thus simplifying multidrug therapies and improving patient compliance. The aim of this work was to synthesize new multifunctional chemical entities bearing a benzothiazole nucleus, a structure that has attracted increasing interest for the great variety of biological actions that it can perform, and already used as a scaffold in several multifunctional drugs. Compounds are reported, divided into two distinct series, synthetized and tested in vitro for the antioxidant, and include UV-filtering and antitumor activities. DPPH and FRAP tests were chosen to outline an antioxidant activity profile against different radical species. The UV-filtering activity was investigated, pre- and post-irradiation, through evaluation of a O/W sunscreen standard formulation containing 3% of the synthetic compounds. The antitumor activity was investigated both on human melanoma cells (Colo-38) and on immortalized human keratinocytes as a control (HaCat). A good antiproliferative profile in terms of IC50 was chosen as a mandatory condition to further investigate apoptosis induction as a possible cytotoxicity mechanism through the Annexin V test. Compound BZTcin4 was endowed with excellent activity and a selectivity profile towards Colo-38, supported by a good antioxidant capacity and an excellent broad-spectrum photoprotective profile.

Triclocarban (TCC) is a polychlorinated, aromatic, antimicrobial agent commercially used since the 1950s in personal care products for the prevention of spoilage and infections. Humans are frequently exposed to TCC due to its widespread use, leading to its substantial release into the aquatic environment. With the recent ban of TCC from some personal care products, implemented in 2016, many replacement antimicrobial compounds have been studied by researchers. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological activity of a series of diarylureas, analogues of TCC that bear the benzothiazole nucleus as one of the two aryl moieties. Among the studied compounds, 2bF and 2eC showed the highest antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, being also more active than TCC, with MIC values of 8 µg/mL versus 16 µg/mL of TCC. Moreover, compound 2bB was much more active than TCC against Enterococcus faecalis, a Gram-positive bacterium that is, unfortunately, strongly responsible for nosocomial infections. Finally, interesting results were found for compound 2bG that, even though less active than the others, exerts an interesting bactericidal action.

A series of 2-benzylsulfanyl benzothiazole (BTA) derivatives were synthesized and fully characterized and in vitro tested against two strains of T. cruzi (NINOA and INC-5), exhibiting good activities at low concentrations.

Novel 2-(2-(4-Aryloxybenzylidene)-Hydrazinyl)-Benzothiazole derivatives were studied using molecular modeling techniques including 3D-QSAR (three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship), CoMFA, CoMSIA, and molecular docking. In the present study 3D-QSAR for 25 derivatives possessing a wide variety of bioactivity against mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain. The results of the CoMFA model has q2 = 0.767 and r2 = 0.938, the best CoMSIA model has q2 = 0.806 and r2 = 0.945. The models were graphically interpreted by using contour plots, which gave more accuracy into the structural requirements for increasing the biological activity of compounds and proved a strong basis for future rational drug design of more active inhibitors for tuberculosis. The results indicated the steric, electrostatic, and hydrophobic, H-acceptor fields play key roles in models. The results of the CoMSIA model show better results than CoMFA model. Molecular docking shows the binding relationship of the ligand and the receptor protein.

This article describes the synthesis and the biological evaluation of two sets of benzothiazole derivatives bearing at C-2 an arylamide (1a–e, 2a–e) or an arylurea (3a–d, 4a–d) moiety. Five compounds (3d and 4a–d) were selected and screened by the National Cancer Institute for the in vitro primary anticancer assay against a panel of 60 human tumor cell lines. Compounds 4a and 4c showed interesting anticancer activities, more marked for compound 4c. All compounds were also submitted to a preliminary in vitro assay as potential inhibitors of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), but they lacked significant activity.