Karithi J. Muketha^1,, Gichumbi M. Joel¹, Michura J.G. Anne², Ombaka Ochiengi¹

Antibacterial resistance is a serious global health problem in human beings. Emergence and increase in number of drug resistant and multidrug resistant microorganisms is at an alarming rate. Thus, there is a pressing need for the development of novel antibacterial drugs with promising activity, which can potentially address this resistance. Schiff bases with 5-bromosalicylidene-aniline (BA), 5-bromosalicylidene-4-nitroaniline (BN) and their cobalt (II) complexes had been synthesized but there antibacterial activity has not been done. In this work, the antibacterial activity of 5-bromosalicylidene-aniline, 5-bromosalicylidene-4-nitroaniline Schiff bases ligands and their cobalt (II) complexes was investigated against two gram-positive bacteria (S aureus & L. monocytogenes) and one gram-negative bacteria (E. coli). There zones of inhibition was compared to the standard drug (gentamycin). All the test compounds displayed antibacterial potential but none of them had antibacterial activity higher than that standard. 5-bromosalicylidene-4-nitroaniline showed higher activity amongst the ligands this could be due to substitution of aniline with nitro group in its structure. Cobalt (II) complexes exhibited higher antibacterial activity in comparison to their corresponding Schiff base ligands, 5-bromosalicylidene-4-nitroaniline cobalt (II) complex showed the highest zones of inhibition amongst the all the test compounds.

Antibacterial activity, azomethine nitrogen, 5-bromosalicylaldehyde, 5-bromosalicylidene-aniline, 5-bromosalicylidene-4-nitroaniline