New antihyperglycemic, alpha-glucosidase inhibitory, and cytotoxic derivatives of benzimidazoles.

Glycosidases play an important role in a wide range of physiological and pathological conditions, and have become potential targets for the discovery and development of agents useful for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, influenza, and even AIDS. In this study, several benzimidazole derivatives were prepared from o-phenylenediamine and aromatic and heteroaromatic carboxaldehydes in very good yields, using PdCl2(CH3CN)2 as the most efficient catalyst. Synthesized compounds were assayed for their activity on yeast and rat intestinal alpha-glucosidase inhibition and cytotoxic activity against colon carcinoma cell line HT-29.