Design, Synthesis, and Acaricidal/Insecticidal Activities of New Phenylpyrazole Derivatives Comprising an Imide Moiety.

Using nicofluprole as the lead compound, we designed and synthesized a series of new phenylpyrazole analogues through substituting the methyl group on the nitrogen atom of the amide with an acyl group. Bioassay results showed that compounds A12-A17 with a 1-cyanocyclopropimide group exhibited outstanding insecticidal activity. The LC50 values for compounds A12-A17 against Tetranychus cinnabarinus ranged from 0.58 to 0.91 mg/L. Compound A15 showed an LC50 value of 0.29 and 3.10 mg/L against Plutella xylostella and Myzus persicae, respectively. Molecular docking indicated the potential binding interactions of compound A15 with a gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor. Additionally, density functional theory calculations implied that the 1-cyanocyclopropimide structure might be essential for its biological activity. Phenylpyrazole derivatives, containing a 1-cyanocyclopropimide fragment, have the potential for further development as potential insecticides.

Design, Synthesis, and Acaricidal Activity of Phenyl Methoxyacrylates Containing 2-Alkenylthiopyrimidine.

A series of novel phenyl methoxyacrylate derivatives containing a 2-alkenylthiopyrimidine substructure were designed, synthesized, and evaluated in terms of acaricidal activity. The structures of the title compounds were identified by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and high-resolution mass spectra (HRMS). Compound (E)-methyl 2-(2-((2-(3,3-dichloroallylthio)-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrimidin-4-yloxy)methyl)phenyl)-3-methoxyacr-ylate (4j) exhibited significant acaricidal activity against Tetranychus cinnabarinus (T. cinnabarinus) in greenhouse tests possessing nearly twice the larvicidal and ovicidal activity compared to fluacrypyrim. Furthermore, the results of the field trials demonstrated that compound 4j could effectively control Panonychuscitri with long-lasting persistence and rapid action. The toxicology data in terms of LD50 value confirmed that compound 4j has a relatively low acute toxicity to mammals, birds, and honeybees.

Design, synthesis and acaricidal activities of Cyflumetofen analogues based on carbon-silicon isosteric replacement.

The application of a carbon-silicon bioisosteric replacement strategy to find new acaricides with improved properties led to the discovery of Sila-Cyflumetofen 6B, a novel and highly potent acaricide. The essential t-butyl group in the beta-ketonitrile acaricide Cyflumetofen 6A could be swapped with the bioisosteric trimethyl-silyl group with retention of high level acaricidal activity and favourable pharmacological properties. Sila-Cyflumetofen 6B was found to possess similar preferred energy-minimized conformation and electrostatic potential surface compare to Cyflumetofen 6A. Herein we also report the development and application of the first homology model of the spider mite mitochondrial electron transport complex II (succinate ubiquinone oxidoreductase; SQR) and demonstrated that the active metabolite AB-1 of Cyflumetofen 6A and its sila-analogue Sila-AB-1 bind to the Qp site in same binding pose and that both compounds form two H-bonds and a cation-π interaction with Trp 165, Tyr 433 and Arg 279, respectively. Furthermore, we also developed a new mode of action test for spider mite Complex II using cytochrome c as electron acceptor and blocking its re-oxidation by addition of KCN resulting in a sensitive and convenient colorimetric assay. This new method avoids the use of non-specific artificial electron acceptors and allows to measure SQR inhibition in crude extracts of Tetranychus urtice. In this assay Sila-AB-1, the intrinsically active metabolite of Sila-Cyflumetofen, 6A exhibited even a somewhat lower IC50 value than the metabolite of Cyflumetofen AB-1. Synthetic methodologies are described for the preparation of Sila-Cyflumetofen 6B and its active metabolite Sila-AB-1 which enable an efficient synthesis of these compounds in only 5 and 4 steps, respectively, from cheap commercial starting materials. Although the value of carbon-silicon bioisosteric replacements has already be demonstrated in the past it is to the best of our knowledge the first report of a successful application in crop protection research in the last two decades.

Design, Synthesis, Acaricidal Activities, and Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of Novel Oxazolines Containing Sulfonate Moieties.

With the ultimate goal of addressing pest-related constraints on global agricultural production, we used combination principles to design and synthesize 2,4-diphenyl-1,3-oxazolines containing a sulfonate moiety at the para-position of the 4-phenyl group. The target compounds, which have strong affinity for lipids and can be expected to traverse cell membranes, were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Their activities against the larvae and eggs of carmine spider mites (Tetranychus cinnabarinus) were determined by a leaf-dipping method and compared with the activity of the commercial acaricide etoxazole. Most of the test compounds displayed good ovicidal and larvicidal activities. In particular, a tert-butylphenyl-substituent compound possessed better larvicidal activity (LC50 = 0.022 ± 0.009 mg/L) and ovicidal activity (0.044 ± 0.020 mg/L) than etoxazole (0.091 ± 0.051 and 0.095 ± 0.059 mg/L, respectively). Given its outstanding bioactivities, this compound deserves further attention as a pesticide candidate.

Preparation of Matrinic/Oxymatrinic Amide Derivatives as Insecticidal/Acaricidal Agents and Study on the Mechanisms of Action against Tetranychus cinnabarinus.

In continuation of our program to develop natural-product-based pesticidal candidates, matrinic/oxymatrinic amides were obtained through structural optimization of matrine. N'-(4-Fluoro)phenyl-N-(4-bromo)phenylsulfonyloxymatrinic amide (IIm) showed potent insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata. N-(Un)substituted phenylsulfonylmatrinic acids (3a-c) exhibited promising acaricidal activity against Tetranychus cinnabarinus. By qRT-PCR analysis of nAChR subunits and AChE genes and determination of AChE activity of (un)treated T. cinnabarinus, it suggested that the open lactam ring of matrine and carboxyl group and (4-methyl)phenylsulfonyl of N-(4-methyl)phenylsulfonylmatrinic acid (3b) were necessary for action with α2, α4, α5, and ß3 nAChR subunits; compound 3b was an inhibitor of AChE in T. cinnabarinus, and AChE was one possible target of action in T. cinnabarinus against 3b; and compound 3b may be an antagonist of nAChR and AChE in T. cinnabarinus.

Synthesis and Acaricidal- and Insecticidal-Activity Evaluation of Novel Oxazolines Containing Sulfiliminyl Moieties and Their Derivatives.

Sulfimides and sulfoximines are highly relevant for medicinal chemistry and crop protection, as the resulting products can reveal interesting bioactivities. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a series of novel 2,4-diphenyl-1,3-oxazolines containing sulfiliminyl and sulfoximinyl moieties. The acaricidal and insecticidal activities of the new compounds were evaluated and indicated that these compounds exhibited excellent acaricidal activities against spider mite larvae and eggs. The LC50 values of 6a-7, 6b-3, 6b-4, 6c-2, and 6c-4 against spider mite larvae were about 4 to 6 times lower than that of the commercial insecticide etoxazole (0.0221 mg L-1), and the LC50 value of 6a-4 against spider mite eggs was 0.0006 mg L-1, which was 10 times lower than that of etoxazole (0.0063 mg L-1). At the same time, most of the compounds showed insecticidal activity though their structure-activity relationships that were different. Oxazolines containing an N-cyano sulfiliminyl moiety at the para position of the 4-phenyl group exhibited better insecticidal activities against cotton bollworm and corn borer than etoxazole, whereas the compounds containing groups derived from sulfiliminyl and sulfoximinyl had weak insecticidal activities. This research again proved that the substituent type at the para site of the 4-phenyl moiety has a decisive role on the biological activity and insecticidal spectrum.

Semisynthesis of novel N-acyl/sulfonyl derivatives of 5(3,5)-(di)halogenocytisines/cytisine and their pesticidal activities against Mythimna separata Walker, Tetranychus cinnabarinus Boisduval, and Sitobion avenae Fabricius.

BACKGROUND: To discover novel natural product-based pesticidal agents for crop protection, a series of N-acyl/sulfonyl derivatives of 5(3,5)-(di)halogenocytisines/cytisine were prepared by structural modifications of cytisine. Their pesticidal activities were evaluated against three typically crop-threatening agricultural pests, Mythimna separata Walker, Tetranychus cinnabarinus Boisduval, and Sitobion avenae Fabricius. RESULTS: Compound 5f exhibited the promising pesticidal activities against three tested pests. All N-phenylsulfonylcytisine derivatives showed potent acaricidal activity. Compound 5j exhibited 2.5-fold more potent acaricidal activity than cytisine, and showed good control effects. Intermediates 2, and 3/3' displayed pronounced aphicidal activity. Some interesting results of structure-activity relationships were also obtained. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that compounds 5f and 5j could be further modified as pesticidal agents. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Synthesis and biological activities of novel pyrazolomatrine derivatives.

In continuation of our program aimed at the development of new natural product-based pesticides, a series of novel pyrazolomatrine derivatives were prepared by structural modifications of matrine, isolated as a quinolizidine alkaloid from the roots of Sophora flave. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, HRMS, etc. Moreover, the steric structures of three compounds were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Among all derivatives, 19-(naphthyl-2-oyl)pyrazolomatrine (5y) showed 3.13-fold more potent acaricidal activity than its precusor matrine against Tetranychus cinnabarinus; 19-(4-methylbenzoyl)pyrazolomatrine (5j) and 19-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)pyrazolomatrine (5k) displayed the promising aphicidal activity against Aphis citricola van der. Their structure-activity relationships were also observed.

Synthesis of matrinic amide derivatives containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole scaffold as insecticidal/acaricidal agents.

In continuation of our program aimed at the development of natural product-based pesticidal agents, a series of matrinic amide derivatives containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole scaffold were prepared, and their insecticidal and acaricidal activities were evaluated against Mythimna separata and Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Some compounds exhibited potent insecticidal and acaricidal activities. It suggested that R1 as a nitro group and R2 as a fluorine atom, were important for the insecticidal activity; R1 as the electron-donating groups and R2 as the methyl group, were necessary for the acaricidal activity.

Synthesis of novel quinolinomatrine derivatives and their insecticidal/acaricidal activities.

In continuation of our program to discover natural product-based pesticidal agents, a series of new quinolinomatrine derivatives were prepared. Especially three-dimensional structures of five compounds were unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Among them, 21-chloroquinolinomatrine exhibited good insecticidal and acaricidal activities against two crop-threatening insect pests, Mythimna separata and Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Their structure-activity relationships were also discussed.

Synthesis and Acaricidal Activities of Scopoletin Phenolic Ether Derivatives: QSAR, Molecular Docking Study and in Silico ADME Predictions.

Thirty phenolic ether derivatives of scopoletin modified at the 7-hydroxy position were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by IR, ¹H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS and elemental analysis. Preliminary acaricidal activities of these compounds against female adults of Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) were evaluated using the slide-dip method. The results indicated that some of these compounds exhibit more pronounced acaricidal activity than scopoletin, especially compounds 32, 20, 28, 27 and 8 which exhibited about 8.41-, 7.32-, 7.23-, 6.76-, and 6.65-fold higher acaricidal potency. Compound 32 possessed the the most promising acaricidal activity and exhibited about 1.45-fold higher acaricidal potency against T. cinnabarinus than propargite. Statistically significant 2D-QSAR model supports the observed acaricidal activities and reveals that polarizability (HATS5p) was the most important parameter controlling bioactivity. 3D-QSAR (CoMFA: q² = 0.802, r² = 0.993; CoMSIA: q² = 0.735, r² = 0.965) results show that bulky substituents at R4, R1, R2 and R5 (C6, C3, C4, and C7) positions, electron positive groups at R5 (C7) position, hydrophobic groups at R1 (C3) and R2 (C4), H-bond donors groups at R1 (C3) and R4 (C6) will increase their acaricidal activity, which provide a good insight into the molecular features relevant to the acaricidal activity for further designing novel acaricidal agents. Molecular docking demonstrates that these selected derivatives display different bide modes with TcPMCA1 from lead compound and they interact with more key amino acid residues than scopoletin. In silico ADME properties of scopoletin and its phenolic ether derivatives were also analyzed and showed potential to develop as good acaricidal candidates.

Synthesis of novel isoxazoline-containing podophyllotoxin/2'(2',6')-(di)halogenopodophyllotoxin derivatives and their insecticidal/acaricidal activities.

In continuation of our program aimed at the development of natural product-based pesticidal agents, a series of isoxazoline-containing podophyllotoxin/2'(2',6')-(di)halogenopodophyllotoxin derivatives were prepared, and their structures were well characterized by 1H NMR, IR, optical rotation, HRMS and mp. Especially the structure of compound Ia was further confirmed by 1H-1H COSY and NOESY spectrum. Among them, two compounds showed good insecticidal and acaricidal activities against Mythimna separata and Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Their structure-activity relationships were also observed.

Bioactivity and structure-activity relationship of cinnamic acid derivatives and its heteroaromatic ring analogues as potential high-efficient acaricides against Psoroptes cuniculi.

A series of cinnamic acid derivatives and its heteroaromatic ring analogues were synthesized and evaluated for acaricidal activity in vitro against Psoroptes cuniculi, a mange mite. Among them, eight compounds showed the higher activity with median lethal concentrations (LC50) of 0.36-1.07mM (60.4-192.1µg/mL) and great potential for the development of novel acaricidal agent. Compound 40 showed both the lowest LC50 value of 0.36mM (60.4µg/mL) and the smallest median lethal time (LT50) of 2.6h at 4.5mM, comparable with ivermectin [LC50=0.28mM (247.4µg/mL), LT50=8.9h], an acaricidal drug standard. SAR analysis showed that the carbonyl group is crucial for the activity. The type and chain length of the alkoxy in the ester moiety and the steric hindrance near the ester group significantly influence the activity. The esters were more active than the corresponding thiol esters, amides, ketones or acids. Replacement of the phenyl group of cinnamic esters with α-pyridyl or α-furanyl significantly increase the activity. Thus, a series of cinnamic esters and its heteroaromatic ring analogues with excellent acaricidal activity emerged.

Novel 4-Methylumbelliferone Amide Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization and Pesticidal Activities.

A series of novel 4-methylumbelliferone amide derivatives were designed, synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, 13C NMR and HR-ESI-MS. The structures of compounds 4bd and 4be (compounds named by authors) were further confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction. The acaricidal, herbicidal and antifungal activities of the synthesized compounds were assayed for their potential use as pesticide. The results indicated that compounds 4bi, 4ac and 4bd were strong acaricidals against Tetranychus cinnabarinus, with 72h corrected mortalities of greater than 80% at 1000 mg/L. Meanwhile, compounds 4bh and 4bf exhibit the strongest inhibition against the taproot development of Digitaria sanguinalis and Chenopodium glaucum, and were even more potent than the commercial herbicide Acetochlor against D. sanguinalis. In addition, compounds 4bk, 4bh and 4bp showed the highest antifungal activity against the mycelium growth of Valsa mali, which makes them more effective than commercial fungicide Carbendazim.

Synthesis of andrographolide-related esters as insecticidal and acaricidal agents.

In continuation of our program aimed at the development of natural product-based pesticidal agents, a series of andrographolide-related esters, such as 3,19-dialkyl(aryl)carbonyloxy andrographolide (3a-g), 3-alkyl(aryl)carbonyloxyandrographolide (4a-g), and 19-alkyl(aryl)carbonyloxyandrographolide (5a-g), were prepared. Their structures were well characterized by 1H NMR, IR, optical rotation, HRMS and mp. Especially three-dimensional structures of compounds 3a, 4g, and 5g were unambiguously confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 3a and 5a exhibited good insecticidal and acaricidal activities against Mythimna separata and Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Their structure-activity relationships were also discussed.

Design, Synthesis and Bioactivities of Novel Isoxazole-Containing Pyrazole Oxime Derivatives.

In this study, in order to find novel biologically active pyrazole oxime derivatives, twenty-eight new pyrazole oxime compounds containing a substituted isoxazole ring were synthesized and evaluated for their acaricidaland insecticidal activities. Bioassays exhibited that some target compounds indicated good acaricidal and insecticidal activities against Tetranychus cinnabarinus, Aphis medicaginis, Mythimna separata, and Nilaparvata lugens. Especially, compounds 9c, 9h, 9u, and 9v showed 100.00%, 90.56%, 90.78%, and 90.62% insecticidal activities against A. medicaginis at the concentration of 20 µg/mL, respectively, compounds 9k and 9u had 70.86% and 100.00% insecticidal activities against M. separata at 20 µg/mL, respectively.

Synthesis of some monosaccharide-related ester derivatives as insecticidal and acaricidal agents.

To develop natural-product-based pesticidal agents, a series of monosaccharide-related ester derivatives (17a-q and 18a-f), glucose (xylose)-piperic acid/piperic acid-like conjugates, were synthesized. Three-dimensional structures of compounds 17b, 17g, 17h, and 17n were unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Especially compounds 18e and 18f exhibited the most potent insecticidal and acaricidal activities against Mythimna separata and Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Their structure-activity relationships were also discussed.

Intermediate derivatisation method in the discovery of new acaricide candidates: synthesis of N-substituted piperazine derivatives and their activity against phytophagous mites.

BACKGROUND: To discover and exploit novel acaricidal compounds, a series of novel N-substituted piperazine derivatives were designed and synthesised using a tert-butyl piperazine-1-carboxylate as the starting material by intermediate derivatisation methods, and their acaricidal activities were evaluated. RESULTS: Compounds 11 and 12 exhibited significant acaricidal activity against adults of Tetranychus cinnabarinus in greenhouse tests. Compound 12, in particular, was found to be the best potential candidate acaricide and proved to be more active than the commercial positive controls spirodiclofen and pyridaben, with an LC50 of 0.8977 mg L-1 . Results concerning acaricidal activity against larvae and eggs of T. cinnabarinus indicated that compound 12 possessed equivalent larvicidal activity to spirodiclofen and higher larvicidal activity than pyridaben. Meanwhile, compound 12 showed less ovicidal activity than pyridaben, but higher activity than spirodiclofen. Furthermore, the results of the field trial demonstrated that compound 12 could effectively control Panonychus citri and P. ulmi with long-lasting persistence and rapid action. CONCLUSIONS: The present work indicates that compound 12 could be a novel acaricide candidate for spider mite control. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Synthesis, Acaricidal Activity, and Structure-Activity Relationships of Pyrazolyl Acrylonitrile Derivatives.

A series of novel pyrazolyl acrylonitrile derivatives was designed, targeting Tetranychus cinnabarinus, and synthesized. Their structures were identified by combination of 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and MS spectra. The structures of compounds 18 and 19 were further confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Extensive greenhouse bioassays indicated that compound 19 exhibits excellent acaricidal activity against all developmental stages of T. cinnabarinus, which is better than the commercialized compounds cyenopyrafen and spirodiclofen. It was shown that the acute toxicity of compounds 19 to mammals is quite low. The structure-activity relationships are also discussed.

Synthesis of Enantiopure Alicyclic Ethers and Their Activity on the Chemosensory Organ of the Ectoparasite of Honey Bees, Varroa destructor.

The preparation of enantiopure conformationally restricted alicyclic ethers and their inhibitory activities on the chemosensory organ of the Varroa destructor, a parasite of honey bees, are reported in this article. We tested the effect of enantiopure ethers of cis-5-(2'-hydroxyethyl)cyclopent-2-en-1-ol on the Varroa chemosensory organ by electrophysiology, for their ability to inhibit the responses to two honey bee-produced odors that are important for the mite to locate its host: nurse bee head space odor and (E)-ß-ocimene, a honey bee brood pheromone. Previous work with the racemic compounds showed that they suppress the mite's olfactory response to its bee host, which led to incorrect host choice. Based on a structure-activity relationship, we predicted that the two most active compounds-cis-1-butoxy-5-(2'-methoxyethyl)cyclopent-2-ene, cy{4,1}, and (cis-1-ethoxy-5-(2'ethoxyethyl)cyclopent-2-ene, cy{2,2}-could have opposite active enantiomers. Here we studied the enantiomers of both ethers, whose preparation involved enzymatic resolution of racemic diol cis-5-(2'-hydroxyethyl)cyclopent-2-en-1-ol using Lipase AK with vinyl acetate. The racemic diol was prepared from commercially available 2,5-norbornadiene. We observed that the responses of the chemosensory organ to honey bee head space volatiles were significantly decreased by both enantiomers of cy{4,1} and cy{2,2}, but that responses to (E)-ß-ocimene were decreased significantly only by (+)-cy{4,1} (1R,5S) and (-)-cy{2,2} (1S,5R) and not by their respective enantiomers. The importance of this result is that the racemates could be used to inhibit olfactory detection of bee odors by mites, without a loss in activity relative to the more expensive enantiopure compounds.