Synthesis, and characterization of Ni(II), and Cu(II) metal complexes containing new azo dye ligand (N,N,N) and evaluation of their biological activities supported by DFT studies, molecular docking, ADMET profiling, drug-likeness analysis and toxicity prediction

The ligand 2-['2-(4,5-dimethyl thiazolyl)azo]-imidazole (DMeTAI), which is generated from 2-amino-4,5-dimethylthiazol and imidazole, was used to synthesize coordination compounds containing Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions. To confirm the structure of the synthesized chelates, a range of analytical techniques were used, including thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, magnetic susceptibility analysis, microanalysis, and H-1 NMR. The complexes have the formula [M(L)(2)]Cl-2.H2O, where M stands for Ni(II) or Cu(II), and the results showed that the metal ion-ligand ratio was 1:2. Molar conductivity results demonstrated that the complexes are all electrolytes that fall within a certain range 77.01-83.56 Omega(-1) cm(2) mol(-1), and the magnetic susceptibility measurements indicated an octahedral structural geometry for the complexes. Besides, the central metal ion interacts with the ligand as a tridentate (N,N,N) coordination by the (C=N) nitrogen atom from the thiazole moiety, the (N=N) nitrogen atom from the azo group, and the (C=N) nitrogen atom from the imidazole moiety. Thermal analysis (TG/DTG) showed that the thermal decomposition of the obtained compounds is a multi-stage process depending on the metal ion and atmosphere in which was conducted. Computational methods were subsequently utilized to delve more deeply into the properties of both the ligand and metallic complexes. The structural formulas of the examined azo dye ligand and metal complexes were optimized using the Gaussian09 program. Additionally, the DFT/B3LYP method was employed to compute energy gaps and other pertinent theoretical parameters. Molecular docking using the MOE 2015 program was utilized to explore the interactions of the compounds with the human p110alpha/p85alpha complex (PDB ID: 2RD0), which is associated with ovarian carcinoma. We determined the energies of hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding from the analysis of the docked protein receptors. In addition to the theoretical investigations, both the ligand and metallic complexes were evaluated for their effectiveness as antibacterial agents against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive), Escherichia coli (Gram-negative), and the antifungal strain Penicillium sp. The findings revealed that the ligand and its metallic complexes demonstrated moderate antimicrobial efficacy against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microbes, surpassing the standard drugs Ciprofloxacin and Cycloheximide. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of the ligand was assessed against human ovarian carcinoma cancer cells (SKOV-3). Furthermore, in silico ADMET analysis predicted favourable pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles for the synthesized molecules, indicating promising oral drug-like properties and a nontoxic nature.