ANTIFUNGAL, ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIVIRAL AND CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF NOVEL THIO-AZOLES AND SELENO-AZOLES

A series of pentaatomic heterocyclic compounds containing sulphur or s elenium in position 2, were tested for cytotoxicity, antiviral and ant imicrobial activities. Generally, selenium-containing compounds were m ore toxic than the corresponding sulphur-containing ones (30-75 times more toxic) and, furthermore, the biological activity against some mic roorganisms was also enhanced. In particular, some selenium-containing derivatives exerted an inhibitory activity on plant pathogenic fungi at doses markedly lower than the toxic ones, showing an interesting se lectivity of action. In this case the tested compounds appeared more a ctive than ketoconazole, the control used, with an almost comparable d egree of cytotoxicity. (C) 1997 The Italian Pharmacological Society.