Regioselective Oxidation of Tetrahydronaphthalenes to α‑Tetralone Derivatives Using DDQ as Oxidizing Agent: Synthesis and Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities

An easy and efficient approach for the synthesis of highly regioselective functionalized dihydronaphthalen-1­(2H)-one family of α-tetralones from functionalized tetralone precursors which derived from Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) adducts as starting substrates has been developed. The target dihydronaphthalen-1­(2H)-ones are obtained through the oxidation of tetrahydronaphthalenes (THN) using DDQ as the oxidizing agent, conducted in aqueous acetic acid at reflux conditions. The yields obtained ranged from 90 to 98%. The resulting dihydronaphthalen-1­(2H)-ones were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against nine Gram-positive and six Gram-negative strains. Additionally, their antifungal properties were assessed against three fungal pathogens by using the microdilution method and Biolog Phenotype Microarrays technology. Remarkably, the synthesized dihydronaphthalen-1­(2H)-ones exhibited good antibacterial activity when compared to reference drugs such as vancomycin and ampicillin. Similarly, their antifungal activity is comparable to the effectiveness of the reference drugs cycloheximide and fluconazole.