## 4 Conclusions  
In summary, the cyclocondensation reaction of various phenylenediamines with aldehydes on heating in \(N\),\(N\)-dimethylacetamide in the presence of sodium metabisulfite provided a series of 2-(1\(H\)-indol-3-yl)-1\(H\)-benzo[\(d\)]imidazole derivatives **3** in good to high yields. The synthesized substances were shown to have high activity against \(S\). _aureus_ including MRSA, _C. albicans_, and _M. smegmatis_. Indolybenzo[\(d\)]imidazoles **3 aa**, **3 ad**, **3 ao**, and **3 aq** showed the highest antibacterial activity against staphylococci and compounds **3i** and **3 ag** against _M. smegmatis_. Target compounds **3 ad**, **3 ag**, and **3 aq** demonstrated the highest activity against _C. albicans_. 2-(5-Bromo-1\(H\)-indol-3-yl)-6,7-dimethyl-1\(H\)-benzo[\(d\)]imidazole (**3 aq**) demonstrated the highest bactericidal activity against staphylococci cells in the biofilm. High activity against \(S\). _aureus_ and especially MRSA, including biofilm cells, as well as against _M. smegmatis_ and _C. albicans_ suggested a prospect for the use of these lead compounds as components of antimicrobial drugs. The molecular docking-based target identification efforts yielded three plausible interaction models for the investigated 2-(1\(H\)-indol-3-yl)-1\(H\)-benzo[\(d\)]imidazole derivatives **3**. These models suggest that (p)ppGpp synthetases/hydrolases, FtsZ proteins, or pyruvate kinases could potentially be involved in their mechanism of antibacterial action.  
The following supporting information can be downloaded at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules28207095/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules28207095/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules28207095/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules28207095/s1)), Table S1: Antimicrobial data (MIC and MBC/MFC, ug/mL) for the indolybenzimidazole derivatives and their analogs **3**; Figure S1: Influence of sublethal concentrations of amikican on the _S. aureus_ ATCC 25923 biofilm biomass (OD570) and the number of colony-forming units (CFU) in plankton. Diagrams show the mean values of three experiments; copies of \({}^{1}\)H, \({}^{13}\)C NMR spectra of target compounds; copies of HRMS of new compounds. Table S2: Experimental details for 2-(1\(H\)-indol-3-yl)-6,7-dimethyl-1\(H\)-benzo[\(d\)]imidazole (**3 ae**, CCDC 2293846); Figure S2. Structure of 2-(1\(H\)-indol-3-yl)-6,7-dimethyl-1\(H\)-benzo[\(d\)]imidazole (**3 ae**, CCDC 2293846) according to the X-ray diffraction data; non-hydrogen atoms are shown as thermal vibration ellipsoids with a probability of 50%.  
Conceptualization, E.Y.M. and M.G.U.; methodology, E.Y.M.; software, A.G.T. and R.Y.S.; investigation, E.Y.M., E.R.N., R.O.S., D.A.M. and L.Y.N.; resources, E.Y.M.; writing, E.Y.M., M.G.U., A.G.T., R.Y.S. and L.Y.N.; supervision, E.Y.M.; project administration, E.Y.M.; funding acquisition, E.Y.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (grant number 22-23-00503, [[https://rscf.ru/en/project/22-23-00503/](https://rscf.ru/en/project/22-23-00503/)]([https://rscf.ru/en/project/22-23-00503/](https://rscf.ru/en/project/22-23-00503/)), accessed on 25 September 2023).  
Not applicable.  
The supporting information includes NMR spectra and HRMS charts.  
We thank [PERSON] (Perm State University) for the preparation of single-crystal X-ray data.  
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Sample Availability: Samples of synthesized compounds are available from the authors.