Effect of hydroxy groups on structural, electronic, and biological properties of methyl carbazate containing hydroxy benzaldehyde-based imines. A combined experimental and theoretical investigation

Abstract

Interactions present in differently substituted hydroxy based imine derivatives were characterised and identified by the utilisation of spectroscopic techniques in conjunction with X-ray crystallography and theoretical computations. All the target compounds ‘a-c’ crystallises in monoclinic crystal system with P21/c and C2/c space groups. CH…Pi and Pi…Pi interaction are the characteristic interactions present in the target compounds ‘a-c’ The most significant contributions to the crystal packing were found using Hirshfeld surface analysis, and potential contact points were identified. H…H, O…H and C…H contacts and π stacking interactions are the dominant contacts observed in all the crystals these results showed that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were significantly present. Furthermore, investigations related to calculations of the molecular electrostatic potential and frontier molecular orbital (highest occupied–lowest unoccupied) were carried out for the optimised structure. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap made it possible to determine the molecule's chemical hardness, chemical inertness, electronegativity, and electrophilicity index, which showed its possible kinetic stability and reactivity. The target compounds' predicted activity spectra (PASS) showed that these compounds exhibit significant Testosterone 17beta-dehydrogenase (NADP+) inhibition activity, with Pa 7.18–7.95. Finally, Testosterone 17beta-dehydrogenase (NADP+) (PDB-ID 3KLP) was used to conduct molecular docking investigations of compounds ‘a-c’. Due to their tiny size and lack of rigidity, which enable them to bind well at any position, a and b exhibit higher binding free energies of -7.08 and -7.00 kcal/mol and inhibition constants of 0.1 and 1.2 µM than compound c.