Hybrid Bis-(Imidazole/Benzimidazole)-Pyridine Derivatives with Antifungal Activity of Potential Interest in Medicine and Agriculture via Improved Efficiency Methods

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Nowadays fungal infections are rising serious threats for the human health system and agriculture, mostly because of antifungal resistance, emergence of new fungal pathogens and adverse effects, pressing the scientific world for exploration of new antifungal compounds. Therefore, the aim of this work was to synthesize and to study antifungal activity against human and plant fungi of a new class of hybrid <i>bis</i>-(imidazole/benzimidazole)-pyridine salt derivatives. <b>Methods</b>: The synthesis of the hybrid derivatives was performed using both conventional thermal heating and ultrasound irradiation methods. <b>Results</b>: The use of ultrasound irradiation has the advantages of a dramatic decrease in reaction time and, consequently, a notable acceleration in reaction rate, a remarkable decrease in consumed energy and higher yields. The antifungal activity against five human fungal strains and for plant fungal strains was determined by the disk diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration. <b>Conclusions</b>: The tested hybrid derivatives manifest good antifungal activity against the tested strains. Some of the hybrid compounds have very good quasi-nonselective activity against the tested human and plant pathogenic fungi, in some cases close to the control drug fluconazole, respectively, to many antifungal agents commercially used for plant protection.