An investigation of the biological applications of sulphonated succinimides: in vivo toxicity to zebrafish larvae as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial potential

Abstract

Succinimide is a significant structural motif with numerous biological applications. This investigation reports the biological activity of iodo-sulphonated succinimide derivatives. We studied the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of several succinimide derivatives (4aa–4la, 4ba–4ma, 6, and 7), among which compounds 4(ac, ag, ea), 6, and 7 exhibited potential antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus with the following zones of inhibition: E. coli: 11.64, 13.46, 14.20, 14.26 and 12.60 mm; P. aeruginosa: 8.50, 11.62, 14.68, 13.42, and 14.62 mm; S. aureus: 12.50, 14.61, 14.26, 16.24, and 13.68 mm. Furthermore, derivatives 4(aa, ac, af, ag, ca, ea), 6, and 7 enhanced DPPH and ABTS antioxidant activities; upregulated superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) enzyme levels in zebrafish larvae under oxidative stressed conditions (50 μM); and inhibited apoptosis. These findings show that further development in these succinimide derivatives can lead to their potential use as antibacterial and antioxidant agents in pharmaceutical industries.