Synthesis, antibacterial and antifungal evaluation of novel 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives

3,5-Diacetyl-1,4-dihydro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridine (1) has been condensed with aromatic aldehydes to give the corresponding cinnamoyl derivatives IIa-e. the behavior of IIc, d towards thiourea, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, hydrazine hydrate and other bifunctional reagents has been investigated. The newly synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and as antifungal reagent. Among all the tested compounds, it was found that compounds IIIa and Vila, b revealed better activity against the Gram-positive rather than the Gram-negative bacteria. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.