Synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of benzimidazole derivatives as potential anxiolytics

Abstract

The synthesized benzimidazoles compounds were prepared from the condensation reaction between o-Phenylenediamine and various carbonyl compounds, in the presence of ammonium chloride as a catalyst. Ammonium chloride is a commercial and environmentally benign catalyst. The yield of all benzimidazole derivatives was found to be in the range of 75-94%. The purity of the compounds was ascertained by melting point and TLC. The synthesized compounds were characterized by using IR, 1 H NMR, and MASS spectral data together with elemental analysis. The synthesized benzimidazole compounds were screened for acute and chronic anti-anxiety activity in Wistar rats by using an elevated plus maze model with standard Diazepam. The synthesized compounds Z B , Z E , Z F , Z G , and Z H showed potent anti-anxiety activity when compared to the standard Diazepam. The compound Z H exhibited a higher anti-anxiety activity when compared to other prepared benzimidazoles. The results were subjected to statistical analysis by using one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey-Kramer test, to calculate the significance.