In Vitro Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Salicylanilide Benzoates

The resistance to antimicrobial agents brings a need of novel antimicrobial agents. We have synthesized and found the in vitro antibacterial activity of salicylanilide esters with benzoic acid (2-(phenylcarbamoyl)phenyl benzoates) in micromolar range. They were evaluated in vitro for the activity against eight fungal and eight bacterial species. All derivatives showed a significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive strains with minimum inhibitory concentrations ≥ 0.98 μmol/L including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain. The most active compounds were 5-chloro-2-(3,4-dichlorophenylcarbamoyl)phenyl benzoate and 4-chloro-2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenylcarbamoyl)phenyl benzoate. The antifungal activity is significantly lower.