Evaluating the biological potential of some new cobalt (II) complexes with acrylate and benzimidazole derivatives

This paper presents the synthesis, physico‐chemical and biological properties of four new coordination compounds with mixed ligands: acrylate ion (acr) and benzimidazole/benzimidazole derivatives with the general formula [Co(L) ₂ (acr) ₂ ]·nH ₂ O [ (1) L: benzimidazole (HBzIm), n: 0.5; (2) L: 2‐methylbenzimidazole (2‐MeBzIm), n: 0.5; (3) L: 5‐methylbenzimidazole (5‐MeBzIm), n: 0; (4) L: 5,6‐dimethylbenzimidazole (5,6‐Me₂BzIm), n: 0]. Their chemical formulae were achieved correlating the chemical analysis with mass spectrometry data, the ligands coordination modes were assigned by Fourier transform‐infrared measurements, and the trigonal bipyramidal geometry of cobalt ion in complexes was assigned by data correlation of UV–Vis‐NIR spectra and magnetic moments measurements. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction reveals a mononuclear structure with a pentacoordinated cobalt (II) ion, connected to two acrylato coordinated in different modes and two unidentate 5,6‐dimethylbenzimidazole ligands for compound (4) . The biological tests were performed against several microbial strains, the cytotoxicity was evaluated on HCT8 cellular lines and the cell cycle analysis was performed on HT29 cellular lines. Microbiological assays indicated that Co (II) complexes present a very good to good activity against Candida albicans 1760, Enterococcus faecium E5, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6683 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Predictive pharmacokinetic (ADME), toxicity and drug‐likeness profiles were evaluated for Co (II) complexes. Our results highlight that Co (II) complexes depicted in the present study are suitable to be used as efficient pharmacological agents.