Synthesis and investigation of the antibacterial activity and action mechanism of 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioether derivatives

Eco-friendly approaches to 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives: A comprehensive review of green synthetic strategies

This review article offers an environmentally benign synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives, with a focus on sustainable methodologies that have minimal impact on the environment. These derivatives, known for their diverse applications, have conventionally been associated with synthesis methods that utilize hazardous reagents and produce significant waste, thereby raising environmental concerns. The green synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives employs renewable substrates, nontoxic catalysts, and mild reaction conditions, aiming to minimize the environmental impact. Innovative techniques such as catalyst-based, catalyst-free, electrochemical synthesis, green-solvent-mediated synthesis, grinding, microwave-mediated synthesis, and photosynthesis are implemented, providing benefits in terms of scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of purification. This review emphasizes the significance of sustainable methodologies in the synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazole and boots for continued exploration in this research domain.

Synthesis, characterization, biological evaluation, and molecular docking studies of new 1,3,4-oxadiazole-thioether derivative as antioxidants and cytotoxic agents

Oxadiazoles and their derivatives with thioether functionalities represent a new and exciting class of physiologically active heterocyclic compounds. Several molecules with these moieties play a vital role in pharmaceuticals because of their diverse biological activities. This paper describes a new class of 1,3,4- oxadiazole-2-thioethers with acetophenone, coumarin, and N-phenyl acetamide residues (S-alkylation), with the hope that the addition of various biologically active molecules will have a synergistic effect on anticancer activity. The structure of the synthesized title compounds was determined by the combined methods of IR, proton-NMR, carbon-13-NMR, and mass spectrometry. Furthermore, all the newly prepared molecules were assessed for their antioxidant activity. Furthermore, four compounds were assessed for their molecular docking interactions and cytotoxicity activity. The synthesized derivatives have shown moderate antioxidant activity compared to the standard BHA (butylated hydroxy anisole). The IC50 of the titled molecules (11b, 11c, 13b, and 14b) observed for in vitro anti-cancer activities were 11.20, 15.73, 59.61, and 27.66 g/ml at 72-h treatment time against the A549 cell lines, respectively. The tested compounds' biological evaluation showed that 11b is the most effective molecule in the series. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that the tested compounds, 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thioether derivative, have shown high cytotoxicity against human lung cancer diseases, which may serve for subsequent studies in the formulation of cancer-based drugs and future outlook for researchers.

Design, Synthesis, and Target Identification of Novel Phenylalanine Derivatives by Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS) in Xanthomonas oryzae pv Oryzae

The increasing resistance displayed by plant phytopathogenic bacteria to conventional pesticides has heightened the urgency for the exploration of novel antibacterial agents possessing distinct modes of action (MOAs). In this study, a series of novel phenylalanine derivatives with the unique structure of acylhydrazone dithioether have been designed and synthesized. Bioassay results demonstrated that most target compounds exhibited excellent in vitro antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae (Xoo) and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri (Xac). Among them, the EC50 values of L3, L4, L6, L21, and L22 against Xoo were 7.4, 9.3, 6.7, 8.9, and 5.1 μg/mL, respectively, superior to that of bismerthiazol (BT) and thiodiazole copper (TC) (41.5 and >100 μg/mL); the EC50 values of L3, L4, L5, L6, L7, L8, L20, L21, and L22 against Xac were 5.6, 2.5, 6.2, 4.1, 4.2, 6.4, 6.3, 3.6, and 5.2 μg/mL, respectively, superior to that of BT and TC (43.3 and >100 μg/mL). An unmodified drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) technology was used to investigate the antibacterial MOAs of active compound L22, and the 50S ribosomal protein L2 (RL2) as an unprecedented target protein in Xoo cells was first discovered. The target protein RL2 was then expressed and purified. Furthermore, the in vitro interactions by microscale thermophoresis (Kd = 0.050 μM) and fluorescence titration (Ka = 1.4 × 105 M-1) experiments also demonstrated a strong binding force between compound L22 and RL2. Overall, these results not only facilitate the development of novel antibacterial agents but also establish a reliable method for exploring the targets of bactericides.

Synthesis, Bioactivities, and Antibacterial Mechanism of 5-(Thioether)-N-phenyl/benzyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-carboxamide/amine Derivatives

1,3,4-Oxadiazole thioethers have shown exciting antibacterial activities; however, the current mechanism of action involving such substances against bacteria is limited to proteomics-mediated protein pathways and differentially expressed gene analysis. Herein, we report a series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioethers containing a carboxamide/amine moiety, most of which show good in vitro and in vivo bacteriostatic activities. Compounds A10 and A18 were screened through CoMFA models as optimums against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo, EC50 values of 5.32 and 4.63 mg/L, respectively) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc, EC50 values of 7.58 and 7.65 mg/L, respectively). Compound A10 was implemented in proteomic techniques and activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) analysis to elucidate the antibacterial mechanism and biochemical targets. The results indicate that A10 disrupts the growth and pathogenicity of Xoc by interfering with pathways associated with bacterial virulence, including the two-component regulation system, flagellar assembly, bacterial secretion system, quorum sensing, ABC transporters, and bacterial chemotaxis. Specifically, the translational regulator (CsrA) and the virulence regulator (Xoc3530) are two effective target proteins of A10. Knocking out the CsrA or Xoc3530 gene in Xoc results in a significant reduction in the motility and pathogenicity of the mutant strains. This study contributes available molecular entities, effective targets, and mechanism basis for the management of rice bacterial diseases.

1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents

Due to the emergence of drug-resistant microbial strains, different research groups are continuously developing novel drug molecules against already exploited and unexploited targets. 1,3,4-Oxadiazole derivatives exhibited noteworthy antimicrobial activities. The presence of 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety in antimicrobial agents can modify their polarity and flexibility, which significantly improves biological activities due to various bonded and non-bonded interactions viz. hydrogen bond, steric, electrostatic, and hydrophobic with target sites. The present review elaborates the therapeutic targets and mode of interaction of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles as antimicrobial agents. 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives target enoyl reductase (InhA), 14α-demethylase in the mycobacterial cell; GlcN-6-P synthase, thymidylate synthase, peptide deformylase, RNA polymerase, dehydrosqualene synthase in bacterial strains; ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, P450-14α demethylase, protein-N-myristoyltransferase in fungal strains; FtsZ protein, interfere with purine and functional protein synthesis in plant bacteria. The present review also summarizes the effect of different moieties and functional groups on the antimicrobial activity of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives.

Design, Synthesis and in Vitro Antifungal Mechanism of Novel Phenylalanine Derivatives

To explore novel molecules with unique mechanisms against plant pathogenic fungi, a series of phenylalanine derivatives containing a 1,3,4-oxadiazothioether moiety were designed and synthesized. Bioassays revealed that some target compounds at 100 μg/mL exhibited excellent antifungal activities against Thanatephorus cucumeris, such as G₆ (92.1 %), G₁₀ (94.3 %), G₁₈ (99.1 %), and G₁₉ (98.7 %), better than that of the commercial fungicide azoxystrobin (90.6 %), and the EC₅₀ value of G₁₀ against T. cucumeris was 31.9 μg/mL. Further mechanism studies of T. cucumeris treated with G₁₀ demonstrated that this compound can affect the growth of mycelia by disrupting the integrity of the membrane, and the higher the concentration of the compound is, the greater the degree of membrane integrity damage, similar to the commercial fungicide azoxystrobin. These conclusions provide important information for further mechanism studies of this series of phenylalanine derivatives.

Design, Synthesis, Antibacterial Activity, Antiviral Activity, and Mechanism of Myricetin Derivatives Containing a Quinazolinone Moiety

Plant bacteria such as Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac), Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) have created huge obstacles to the global trade of food and economic crops. However, traditional chemical agents used to control these plant diseases have gradually become disadvantageous due to long-term irregular use. Therefore, finding new and efficient antibacterial and antiviral agents is becoming imperative. In this study, a series of myricetin derivatives containing a quinazolinone moiety were designed and synthesized, and the antibacterial and antiviral activities of these compounds were evaluated. The bioassay results showed that some target compounds exhibited good antibacterial activities in vitro and antiviral activities in vivo. Among them, the median effective concentration (EC50) value of compound L18 against Xac was 16.9 μg/mL, which was better than those of the control drugs bismerthiazol (BT) (62.2 μg/mL) and thiodiazole copper (TC) (97.5 μg/mL). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results confirmed that compound L18 inhibited the growth of Xac by affecting the morphology of cells. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) test results indicated that the dissociation constant (K d) value of compound L11 against TMV-CP was 0.012 μM, which was better than that of the control agent ningnanmycin (2.726 μM). This study reveals that myricetin derivatives containing a quinazolinone moiety are potential antibacterial and antiviral agents.

Synthesis of N-Methylmorpholinium Derivatives Possessing a 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Core as Feasible Antibacterial Agents against Plant Bacterial Diseases

To develop a kind of quaternary ammonium compounds that can safely apply in agriculture for managing the plant bacterial diseases, herein, a series of N-methylmorpholinium derivatives possessing a classical 1,3,4-oxadiazole core were prepared and the antibacterial activities both in vitro and in vivo were screened. Bioassay results revealed that compounds 3l and 3i showed the strongest antibacterial activity toward pathogens Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and X. axonopodis pv. citri with the lowest EC50 values of 1.40 and 0.90 μg/mL, respectively. Phytotoxicity test trials indicated that target compounds bearing a bulky N-methylmorpholinium pendant are safe for plants. The following in vivo bioassays showed that compound 3l could control the rice bacterial blight disease, thereby affording good control efficiencies of 55.95% (curative activity) and 53.09% (protective activity) at the dose of 200 μg/mL. Preliminary antibacterial mechanism studies suggested that target compounds had strong interactions with the cell membrane of bacteria via scanning electron microscopy imaging. Additionally, this kind of framework also displayed certain antifungal activity toward Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora cinnamomi. Given the above privileged characteristics, this kind of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-tailored N-methylmorpholinium derivatives could stimulate the design of safe quaternary ammonium bactericides for controlling plant bacterial diseases.

Design, synthesis and antifungal evaluation of novel mandelic acid derivatives containing a 1,3,4-oxadiazothioether moiety

A series of novel mandelic acid derivatives containing a 1,3,4-oxadiazothioether moiety were designed and synthesized. Bioassay results showed that some target compounds exhibited certain antifungal activity against six kinds of pathogenic fungi in vitro. Among the compounds, the EC₅₀ values of T₄₁ against Gibberella saubinetii, Verticillium dahlia and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum were 31.0, 27.0 and 32.1 μg/ml, respectively, and the EC₅₀ value of T₁₄ against S. sclerotiorum was 14.7 μg/ml. The antifungal activity against the resistant fungus S. sclerotiorum indicated that this series of target compounds may have the similar action modes or sites as the commercialized succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor carboxin. A morphological study with fluorescence microscope demonstrated that T₄₁ can significantly destroy the membrane integrity of G. saubinetii.

Quantitative proteomics reveals the antifungal effect of canthin-6-one isolated from Ailanthus altissima against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum in vitro

Canthin-6-one, one of the main alkaloid compounds extracted from Ailanthus altissima, has recently attracted increasing interest for its antifungal activity. To evaluate the potential of canthin-6-one in controlling plant fungal diseases, we investigated the antifungal activity of canthin-6-one isolated from A. altissima against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (Foc) in vitro. The mycelial growth rate and micro-broth dilution were used to test antifungal activity. Furthermore, label-free quantitative proteomics and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) techniques were applied to analyze the antifungal mechanism. It was found that canthin-6-one significantly inhibited the growth of Foc, and had higher inhibitory action than chlorothalonil at the same concentration. Proteomic analysis showed that the expression of 203 proteins altered significantly after canthin-6-one treatment. These differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in amino acid biosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism pathways. These results suggest that canthin-6-one significantly interferes with the metabolism of amino acids. Therefore, it affects nitrogen nutrients and disturbs the normal physiological processes of fungi, and ultimately leads to the death of pathogens. This study provides a natural plant antifungal agent and a new perspective for the study of antifungal mechanisms.

Novel sulfone derivatives containing a 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety: design and synthesis based on the 3D-QSAR model as potential antibacterial agent

BACKGROUND

The rice bacterial leaf blight (BLB) is one of the most serious bacterial diseases caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which can cause yield loss of rice up to 50%. The three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) is an important auxiliary method to find potential high-efficient pesticides active structures.

RESULTS

A series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole compounds were designed and synthesized based on the 3D-QSAR model, and their antibacterial activities in vitro against Xoo were evaluated. The results indicated that all the target compounds showed excellent in vitro antibacterial activities. For example, the compounds 6, 12, 13, 20, 21, and 23 exhibited excellent antibacterial activities against Xoo, with half-maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀ ) values of 0.24, 0.31, 0.36, 0.29, 0.19, and 0.31 mg/L, respectively, which were superior to the antibacterial agents thiodiazole copper (127.44 mg/L) and bismerthiazol (91.08 mg/L). Meanwhile, compound 21 showed good antibacterial activity in vivo against BLB, with curative and protective activities of 46.7% and 56.4%, respectively, which were superior to thiodiazole copper (28.5% and 32.5%) and bismerthiazol (37.6% and 38.4%). Compound 21 can significantly reduce the extracellular polysaccharides production of Xoo, increase the permeability of the cell membranes, and also can cause cell surface wrinkles, deformation and dryness.

CONCLUSION

The 3D-QSAR model can be used to find sulfone compounds containing a 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety with higher antibacterial activity, and compound 21 can be used as a potential antibacterial agent in the future. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Design, synthesis, and antimicrobial behavior of novel oxadiazoles containing various N-containing heterocyclic pendants

BACKGROUND

The gradually elevated outbreak of plant bacterial diseases severely limits agricultural products and small amounts of pesticides can manage them. Our group has previously synthesized and screened the antimicrobial activity of diverse 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioether/sulfone compounds bridged by a sulfur atom at the 2-position of 1,3,4-oxadiazole. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of eliminating the sulfur atom on bioactivity. Herein, a novel type of N-containing heterocyclic pendants-tagged 1,3,4-oxadiazoles bridged by alkyl chains only was systematically synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activities.

RESULTS

Bioassay results revealed that antibacterial efficacy increased by 551- and 314-fold against the corresponding phytopathogens Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and X. axonopodis pv. citri compared to commercial agents bismerthiazol and thiodiazole copper. In vivo trials showed that C ₁ exerted remarkable curative activity against rice bacterial blight with a control effectiveness of 52.9% at 200 μg mL^-1 . Antibacterial mechanism research found that C ₁ could reduce the hypersensitive response behavior and pathogenicity of Xoo through targeting the type III secretion system (T3SS) at a lower drug dose. This outcome was verified by observing the significantly down-regulated proteins and representative genes from the related quantitative proteomics and qRT-PCR assays.

CONCLUSION

This study can inspire the design of innovative molecular frameworks targeting the T3SS of phytopathogens for controlling bacterial infections. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Free radical scavenging mechanism of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives: thermodynamics of O-H and N-H bond cleavage

The thermodynamics of free radical scavenge of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives towards oxygen-centred free radicals were investigated by the density functional theory (DFT) method in the gas phase and aqueous solution. Three mechanisms of free radical scavenge namely, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer followed by proton transfer (SET-PT) and sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET) were considered. The antioxidant descriptors that characterize these mechanisms such as, bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE), adiabatic ionization potential (AIP), proton dissociation enthalpy (PDE), proton affinity (PA) and electron transfer enthalpy (ETE) were evaluated. The sequence of electron donation as predicted by the HOMO results were in good agreement with the sequence of ETE for the considered molecules at their favoured sites of free radical scavenge. The reaction Gibbs free energy for inactivation of the selected peroxyl radicals, show that 1,3,4-oxadiazole antioxidants are more efficient radical scavengers by HAT and SPLET mechanisms than SET-PT mechanism in vacuum. In aqueous solution, the SET-PT mechanism was observed to be the dominant reaction pathway.

Diversity-oriented synthesis and antifungal activities of novel pimprinine derivative bearing a 1,3,4-oxadiazole-5-thioether moiety

Based on the strategy of diversity-oriented synthesis and the structures of natural product pimprinine and streptochlorin, two series of novel pimprinine derivatives containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole-5-thioether moieties were efficiently synthesized under the optimized reaction conditions. Biological assays conducted at Syngenta showed the designed derivatives displayed an altered pattern of biological activity, of which 5h was identified as the most promising compound with strong activity against Pythium dissimile and also a broad antifungal spectrum in primary screening. Further structural optimization of pimprinine and streptochlorin derivatives is well under way, aiming to discover synthetic analogues with improved antifungal activity. Two series of novel pimprinine derivatives containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole-5-thioether moieties were efficiently synthesized through diversity-oriented synthesis strategy under the optimized conditions. Biological assays showed the designed derivatives exhibited potential activity.

Antibiotic activities of propanolamine containing 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones against phytopathogenic bacteria

Various 1,4-benzoxazin-3-one derivatives containing propanolamine groups have been shown to exhibit good antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa), X. axonopodis pv citri (Xac) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae (Xoo). 1,4-benzoxazin-3-one 4n showed the best inhibitory effects against Psa, Xac and Xoo, exhibiting in vitro EC₅₀ values of 4.95, 4.71 and 8.50 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. These potencies were superior to the corresponding EC₅₀ values of the commercial antibiotics bismerthiazol (BT, 89.10, and 116.90 μg mL⁻¹) and thiodiazole copper (TC, 127.30, 82.73 and 87.50 μg mL⁻¹). Treatment on the bacterial leaf blight of rice revealed that compound 4n displayed better curative (51%) and protective (48%) activities for reducing rice BLB than either BT (41%, 39%) or TC (43%, 41%). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging of Xoo that had been treated with 1,4-benzoxazin-3-one 4n (50–100 μg mL⁻¹) revealed that the bacterial cells had experienced extensive cell wall damage, which is the likely cause of its antimicrobial activity and bacterial death.

Various 1,4-benzoxazin-3-one derivatives containing propanolamine groups have been shown to exhibit good antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa), X. axonopodis pv citri (Xac) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae (Xoo).

Synthesis of Thiazolium-Labeled 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Thioethers as Prospective Antimicrobials: In Vitro and in Vivo Bioactivity and Mechanism of Action

In this study, a type of thiazolium-labeled 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioether bridged by diverse alkyl chain lengths was constructed. The antimicrobial activity of the fabricated thioether toward plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi was then screened. Antibacterial evaluation indicated that title compounds possess specific characteristics that enable them to severely attack three phytopathogens, namely, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, Ralstonia solanacearum, and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri with minimal EC₅₀ values of 0.10, 3.27, and 3.50 μg/mL, respectively. Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship models were established to direct the following excogitation for exploring higher active drugs. The in vivo study against plant bacterial diseases further identified the prospective application of title compounds as alternative antibacterial agents. The proteomic technique, scanning electron microscopy patterns, and fluorescence spectrometry were exploited to investigate the antibacterial mechanism. Additionally, some target compounds performed superior inhibitory actions against three tested fungal strains. In view of their simple molecular architecture and highly efficient bioactivity, these substrates could be further explored as promising surrogates for fighting against plant microbial infections.

Synthesis of amide derivatives containing capsaicin and their antioxidant and antibacterial activities

The capsaicin in hot peppers is an important biological active substance that is widely used in food and medicine. In this work, six capsaicin derivatives such as N-(4-Hydroxy-3-acetophenone benzyl)acrylamide (A), 2-hydroxy-3-(octyloxy)phenyl-5-acrylamidemethylbenzene phenyl methanone (B), N-(2,5-dihydroxybenzene)acetamide (C), N-(5-acetamidemethyl benzene-2,4-dihydroxybenzene)acetamide (D), 4-acetamideme thylbenzene-2-benzylphenol (E), and N-(2-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-methylthiobenzene)acetamide (F) were synthesized via the Friedel-Crafts (F-C) alkylation reaction and were characterized using IR, ¹ H NMR, and HRMS. The antioxidant activity of compounds was evaluated using the reducing power and DPPH radical (DPPH·) scavenging assays, and Vitamin C (Vc) was used as a control. The antibacterial activity was tested using minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and antibacterial rate assays, and Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were used as the tested strain. The results showed that all six capsaicin derivatives had certain antioxidant and antibacterial activities, and the activities increased with increasing mass concentration. The best properties were obtained for compounds C and F; the antioxidant activity of compound C was similar to Vc and the MIC of compound F was 0.0313 mg/ml, its antibacterial rate was greater than 99% at 3 mg/ml. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: As a vegetable, peppers can be eaten fresh or processed to other forms such as pepper powder or pepper jam, and it is very popular because of its long history, unique flavor, and special functions. Our current study shows that capsaicin derivatives have good antioxidant and antibacterial activities, and therefore, the present study of capsaicin derivatives with good activity provides a good foundation for future applications in natural food additives and medicine.

Fabrication of Furan-Functionalized Quinazoline Hybrids: Their Antibacterial Evaluation, Quantitative Proteomics, and Induced Phytopathogen Morphological Variation Studies

The limited number of agrochemicals targeting plant bacterial diseases has driven us to develop highly efficient, low-cost, and versatile antibacterial alternatives. Herein, a novel type of simple furan-functionalized quinazolin-4-amines was systematically fabricated and screened for their antibacterial activity. Bioassay results revealed that compounds C₁ and E₄ could substantially block the growth of two frequently mentioned pathogens Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae and X. axonopodis pv citri in vitro, displaying appreciable EC₅₀ values of 7.13 and 10.3 mg/L, respectively. This effect was prominently improved by comparing those of mainly used agrochemicals. An in vivo experiment against bacterial blight further illustrated their viable applications as antimicrobial ingredients. Quantitative proteomics demonstrated that C₁ possessed a remarkable ability to manipulate the upregulation and downregulation of expressed proteins, which probably involved d-glucose and biotin metabolic pathways. This finding was substantially verified by parallel reaction monitoring analysis. Scanning electron microscopy images and fluorescence spectra also indicated that the designed compounds had versatile capacities for destroying the integrity of bacteria. Given these remarkable characteristics, furan-functionalized quinazoline hybrids can serve as a viable platform for developing innovative antibiotic alternatives against bacterial infections.

NaOH-Promoted Chemoselective Cascade Cyclization of Cyclopropyl Esters with Unsaturated Imines: Access to Bioactive Cyclopenta[c]pyridine Derivatives

A chemoselective cascade cycloaddition reaction is developed for green and efficient access to cyclopenta[c]pyridine derivatives. Simple and inexpensive NaOH is used as the sole catalyst for this process. The δ-carbon of cyclopropyl ester is activated as a nucleophilic carbon to initiate highly chemoselective cascade reactions. Cyclopenta[c]pyridines bearing various substituents are afforded in excellent yields. Preliminary studies on the bioactivities of the afforded products show promising antibacterial activities for potential applications in plant protections.

Synthesis and In Vitro and In Vivo Biological Activity Evaluation and Quantitative Proteome Profiling of Oxadiazoles Bearing Flexible Heterocyclic Patterns

A novel series of simple 1,3,4-oxadiazoles that bear flexible heterocyclic patterns was prepared, and their biological activities in plant pathogenic bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, and Meloidogyne incognita in vitro and in vivo were screened to explore low-cost and versatile antimicrobial agents. Screening results showed that compounds, such as A₀, B₀, and C₄, were bioactive against Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae in vitro and in vivo, and such bioactivities were superior to those of commercial agents bismerthiazol and thiodiazole copper. Their antibacterial mechanisms were further investigated by quantitative proteomics and concentration-dependent scanning electron microscopy images. Antifungal results indicated that compound A₀ displayed a selective and better antifungal effect on Botrytis cinerea with inhibition rate of 96.8% at 50 μg/mL. Nematocidal bioassays suggested that compound D₁ had good in vitro nematocidal activity toward M. incognita at 24, 48, and 72 h, with the corresponding insecticidal efficiency of 48.7%, 64.1%, and 87.2% at 40 μg/mL. In vivo study further confirmed that compounds D₁ and F₂ showed nematocidal actions at 80 μg/mL with a disease index of 1.5. Given these advantages, this kind of molecular frameworks could be a suitable platform for exploring highly efficient agrochemicals.

Identification of Racemic and Chiral Carbazole Derivatives Containing an Isopropanolamine Linker as Prospective Surrogates against Plant Pathogenic Bacteria: In Vitro and In Vivo Assays and Quantitative Proteomics

Recent observations on the emergence of drug-resistant plant pathogenic bacteria have highlighted and elicited an acute campaign to develop novel, highly efficient antibiotic surrogates for managing bacterial diseases in agriculture. Thus, a type of racemic and chiral carbazole derivative containing an isopropanolamine pattern was systematically synthesized to discover low-cost and efficient antibacterial candidates. Screening results showed that compounds 2f, 6c, and 2j could significantly suppress the growth of tested plant pathogens, namely Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae, X. axonopodis pv citri, and Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae, and provided the corresponding EC₅₀ values of 1.27, 0.993, and 0.603 μg/mL, which were significantly better than those of existing commercial drugs. In vivo studies confirmed their prospective applications for controlling plant bacterial diseases. Label-free quantitative proteomics analysis indicated that compound 2f could dramatically induce the up- and down-regulation of a total of 247 differentially expressed proteins, which was further validated by the parallel reaction monitoring technique. Moreover, fluorescence spectra and SEM images were obtained to further explore the antibacterial mechanism.

Rational Optimization and Action Mechanism of Novel Imidazole (or Imidazolium)-Labeled 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Thioethers as Promising Antibacterial Agents against Plant Bacterial Diseases

The emergence and widespread occurrence of plant bacterial diseases that cause global production constraints have become major challenges to agriculture worldwide. To promote the discovery and development of new bactericides, imidazole-labeled 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioethers were first fabricated by integrating the crucially bioactive scaffolds of the imidazole motif and 1,3,4-oxadiazole skeleton in a single molecular architecture. Subsequently, a superior antibacterial compound A₆ was gradually discovered possessing excellent competence against plant pathogens Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri with EC₅₀ values of 0.734 and 1.79 μg/mL, respectively. These values were better than those of commercial agents bismerthiazol (92.6 μg/mL) and thiodiazole copper (77.0 μg/mL). Further modifying the imidazole moiety into the imidazolium scaffold led to the discovery of an array of potent antibacterial compounds providing the corresponding minimum EC₅₀ values of 0.295 and 0.607 μg/mL against the two strains. Moreover, a plausible action mechanism for attacking pathogens was proposed based on the concentration dependence of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy images. Given the simple molecular structures, easy synthetic procedure, and highly efficient bioactivity, imidazole (or imidazolium)-labeled 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioethers can be further explored and developed as promising indicators for the development of commercial drugs.

Chemical synthesis, crystal structure, versatile evaluation of their biological activities and molecular simulations of novel pyrithiobac derivatives

Since pyrithiobac (PTB) is a successful commercial herbicide with very low toxicity against mammals, it is worth exploring its derivatives for an extensive study. Herein, a total of 35 novel compounds were chemically synthesized and single crystal of 6-6 was obtained to confirm the molecular structure of this family of compounds. The novel PTB derivatives were fully evaluated against various biological platforms. From the bioassay results, the best AHAS inhibitor 6-22 displayed weaker herbicidal activity but stronger anti-Candida activity than PTB did. For plant pathogenic fungi, 6-26 showed excellent activity at 50 mg/L dosage. Preliminary insecticidal activity and antiviral activity were also observed for some title compounds. Strikingly, 6-5 exhibited a promising inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV M^pro with IC₅₀ of 4.471 μM and a low cellular cytotoxicity against mammalian 293 T cells. Based on the results of molecular modeling, HOMO-1 was considered to be a factor that affects AHAS inhibition and a possible binding mode of 6-5 with SARS-CoV M^pro was predicted. This is the first time that PTB derivatives have been studied as biological agents other than herbicides. The present research hence has suggested that more attentions should be paid to compounds belonging to this family to develop novel agrochemicals or medicines.