Sulfonamide based antimicrobial reactive dyes: A study of their synthesis, fastness and antimicrobial activity

•Sulfonamide based reactive dyes were synthesized with inbuilt antimicrobial activity.•The dyes as well as dyed fabrics displayed effective antimicrobial property.•The dyes exhibited good build-up and fastness properties. The cellulosic fiber dyeing, and antimicrobial finishing are two energy extensive processes. In the present study, an attempt has been made to combine these two processes, which would in turn save time, energy, and cost. In this regard, a new series of reactive dyes (SM1-SM6) has been synthesized using antimicrobial sulfonamide components as dyestuff intermediates. The resultant dyes were characterized through different spectroscopic techniques, and evaluated for build-up profile and different color fastness properties. Pharmacological activities of synthesized dyes against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans were investigated and showed moderate to good antibacterial and antifungal activity. The dyes SM5 and SM3 exhibited maximum inhibition against S. aureus and E. coli respectively (around 76.66%). Samples dyed with SM4 displayed the most effective zone of inhibition i.e., 30.03 ± 0.31 mm against E. coli while SM5 showed highest zone of inhibition against C. albicans measured as 28.00 ± 0.28 mm. [Display omitted]