Bioactive Cobalt(II) Complexes Based on Bipyridine Ligands: Synthesis, Structural Elucidation, and Antibacterial Assessment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64354/t6q1c559Keywords:
: Cobalt(II) complex, Amide-based ligand, Antibacterial agents, Structure–activity relationship, Molecular dockingAbstract
A new cobalt(II) complex derived from a bipyridine-based amide ligand was successfully synthesized and characterized using FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. The spectroscopic results confirmed the proposed coordination mode and the successful formation of the metal complex. The antibacterial activity of the free ligand and the cobalt(II) complex was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. While the free ligand exhibited no antibacterial activity, the cobalt(II) complex showed significant inhibition against both bacterial strains, with higher activity toward S. aureus. Molecular docking studies supported the experimental findings, revealing favorable binding affinities toward the selected bacterial target proteins, particularly for E. coli (−8.77 kcal/mol). The enhanced biological performance of the cobalt(II) complex is attributed to chelation-enhanced lipophilicity and favorable interactions with active-site residues. These findings demonstrate that the synthesized cobalt(II) complex represents a promising candidate for the development of new metal-based antibacterial agents.
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