Novel Benzimidazole-Urea Phenylalanine Hybrids as Dual-Acting Antimicrobial and Anticancer Agents: In Silico and Biological Evaluation


KARACA T. D., ÇAPAN İ., SERT Y., Balcı H., Aysan A., KOCA İ.

Chemical Biology and Drug Design, cilt.107, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 107 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1111/cbdd.70229
  • Dergi Adı: Chemical Biology and Drug Design
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, MEDLINE
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: amino acid ester, benzimidazole, drug likeness, MEP, molecular docking, phenylalanine
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms and the limited therapeutic options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) highlight the urgent need for new molecular scaffolds with dual pharmacological potential. In this study, a novel series of benzimidazole-urea phenylalanine hybrids was designed and synthesized using a rational structure-based approach to integrate antimicrobial and anticancer functionalities within a single pharmacophore. All synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods and evaluated for their antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. Among the series, CPN305 exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity against hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (PLC/PRF/5 and HuH7) while maintaining minimal toxicity toward normal human fibroblasts (BJ-1). Additionally, the compound demonstrated promising antimicrobial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus. Molecular docking simulations revealed favorable binding interactions within the Hsp90 active site, supporting the observed in vitro anticancer effects, while ADME predictions indicated desirable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Collectively, these findings suggest that the benzimidazole-urea phenylalanine scaffold represents a promising lead framework for further structural optimization and mechanistic exploration as a dual-acting antimicrobial and anticancer agent.