Current antimicrobial drug discovery and advancement attempts are aimed to identify new complexes that can work effectively against the infections caused by microbes. The aim of present study was to synthesize new diorganotin(IV) complexes of
N'
-((8-hydroxy-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydropyrido[3,2,1-ij]quinolin-9-yl)methylene)-2-nitrobenzohydrazide (H
2
L
1
),
N'
-((8-hydroxy-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydropyrido[3,2,1-ij]quinolin-9-yl)methylene)-3-methoxybenzohydrazide (H
2
L
2
) and
N'
-((8-hydroxy-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydropyrido[3,2,1-ij]quinolin-9-yl)methylene)-4-methylbenzohydrazide (H
2
L
3
) Schiff base ligands with formula R
2
SnL
1−3
(where R = Me, Et, Bu and Ph). Various spectral and physico-analytical techniques such as elemental analysis, FT-IR, multinuclear (
1
H,
13
C,
119
Sn) NMR, HRMS and XRD were utilized to structurally elucidate the prepared compounds. Based on the spectral data, it was concluded that ligands behave in a tridentate manner and coordinates to the central tin atom through ONO donor atoms. Furthermore, the synthesized compounds were examined for
in vitro
antimicrobial activity against four bacterial and two fungal strains. Among the examined compounds,
Ph
2
SnL
1
complex (MIC = 0.0095 µmol/mL) was found to be the most active. To rationalize the preferred mode of interactions of the most active compound, a molecular docking study of compound
Ph
2
SnL
1
was executed in the binding site of 3-oxoacyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] synthase 2 (FabF) of
E. coli
and sterol 14-alpha demethylase of
C. albicans
. Compound
Ph
2
SnL
1
inhibits the microbes effectively and it could be an effective and new candidate for the modulation of various infections.
Graphical Abstract
New diorganotin(IV) complexes (
4–15
) were prepared from tridentate Schiff base hydrazones (
1–3
). The compounds were examined for
in vitro
antimicrobial activity. Further, molecular docking study of the most potent compound
Ph
2
SnL
1
(
7
) was performed against the enzyme 3-oxoacyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] synthase 2 (FabF) of
E. coli
and sterol 14-alpha demethylase of
C. albicans
.
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