Benzophenone Schiff Base Metal Complexes as Promising Antimicrobial and Anticancer Agents: Spectroscopic and Docking Investigations

ABSTRACT A new series of benzophenone Schiff base metal complexes were synthesized and comprehensively characterized using elemental analysis, molar conductance, FT‐IR, UV–vis, NMR, ESR, mass spectrometry, magnetic susceptibility, and thermal analysis. The results confirmed a 1:2 metal‐to‐ligand ratio with bidentate coordination through azomethine nitrogen and benzophenone oxygen, leading to octahedral or distorted octahedral geometry. The Zn(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II) complexes exhibited non‐electrolytic behavior, while Fe(III) acted electrolytically. Thermal studies revealed stepwise water loss followed by ligand degradation, confirming the complexes’ structural stability.The complexes were evaluated for antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli , showing enhanced inhibition compared to the free ligand, with the Fe(III) complex demonstrating the highest activity. Anticancer potential was assessed via MTT assay on MCF‐7 breast cancer cells, where all complexes exhibited higher cytotoxicity than the ligand; notably, the Zn(II) complex showed significant activity (IC 50 = 61.47 µM). Molecular docking against aromatase cytochrome P450 (PDB: 3eqm) revealed favorable binding interactions, supporting the experimental findings and highlighting these benzophenone Schiff base metal complexes as promising candidates for further therapeutic exploration.