Relation between molecular electrostatic potential, several electronic properties and antibacterial activity of some synthetic furane derivatives

The present work reports the preliminary evaluation of the antibacterial activity, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) determination and relevant electronic properties for their behavior as one electron acceptor, of a serial of compounds, active and inactive analogues, derived form furan, that were previously synthesized within our investigation group, with the purpose of establishing the existence of a valid correlation between their antibacterial activity and those electrostatic and electronic properties. According to the balance between the positive and negative areas in combination with the size of the MEP's area it was determined that these derivatives exhibit activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria or only against Gram-positive ones. We found no valid correlation between the single point energy, the energy associated to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO); LUMO's density, nucleophilic susceptibility, Log P and the dipole moment, with the experimental activity determined for them. This could be because this is an homologous serial where the properties derived from the electronic distribution just change between those molecules that have a nitro group (active) in contrast with those wherein this group is absent (inactive). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.