Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Tubercular Activity of 4-Methyl-7-Substituted Coumarin Hybrids and Their Structure Activity Relationships

Four sets of previously synthesized 4-methyl-7-substituted coumarin derivatives were screened for their in vitro anti-inflammatory and anti-tubercular activities. The anti-inflammatory potential of 3a–t, 5a–o, 6a–n, and 7a–f synthesized compounds was evaluated by an anti-denaturation assay using diclofenac sodium as the reference standard. Evaluation of the anti-tuberculous activity of the mentioned compounds was performed by the Resazurin test method against four different TB strains using rifampicin and isoniazid as reference drugs. Based on the anti-inflammatory results, compounds 3o, 5f, 6c, and 7d proved to be the most active compounds in their respective series. Additionally, compounds 3k–n, 5b–d, 6d–f, 6k, 7a, and 7f were found to be the most potent anti-tuberculous agents. In fact, most of the screened compounds exhibited promising activity profiles compared to the respective standard drugs. The structure–activity connections revealed a few intriguing aspects, indicating that the presence of electron-donating and nitrogen-rich fragments boost the anti-inflammatory effects of the examined compounds. However, the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents was required to boost the anti-tubercular activity of the evaluated compounds.