Structure-Based Design of 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase Inhibitor as a Potential Herbicide for Cotton Fields

Discovery of Novel Pyridazine Herbicides Targeting Phytoene Desaturase with Scaffold Hopping

Phytoene desaturase (PDS) is a critical functional enzyme in blocking ζ-carotene biosynthesis and is one of the bleaching herbicide targets. At present, norflurazon (NRF) is the only commercial pyridazine herbicide targeting PDS. Therefore, developing new and diverse pyridazine herbicides targeting PDS is urgently required. In this study, diflufenican (BF) was used as the lead compound, and a scaffold-hopping strategy was employed to design and synthesize some pyridazine derivatives based on the action mode of BF and PDS. The preemergence herbicidal activity tests revealed that compound 6-chloro-N-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)pyridazine-4-carboxamide (B1) with 2,4-diF substitution in the benzeneamino ring showed 100% inhibition rates against the roots and stems of Echinochloa crus-galli and Portulaca oleracea at 100 μg/mL, superior to the inhibition rates of BF. Meanwhile, compound B1 demonstrated excellent postemergence herbicidal activity against broadleaf weeds, which was similar to that of BF (inhibition rate of 100%) but superior to that of NRF. This indicated that 6-Cl in the pyridazine ring is the key group for postemergence herbicidal activity. In addition, compound B1 could induce downregulation of PDS gene expression, 15-cis-phytoene accumulation, and Y(II) deficiency and prevent photosynthesis. Therefore, B1 can be considered as a promising candidate for developing high-efficiency PDS inhibitors.

Discovery of novel Propionamide-Pyrazole-Carboxylates as Transketolase-inhibiting herbicidal candidates

BACKGROUND

Transketolase (TKL, EC 2.2.1.1) is a key enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway and Calvin cycle, and is expected to act as a herbicidal site-of-action. On the basis of TKL, we designed and synthesized a series of 1-oxy-propionamide-pyrazole-3-carboxylate analogues and evaluated their herbicidal activities.

RESULTS

Methyl 1-methyl-5-((1-oxo-1-((4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)amino)propan-2-yl)oxy)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate (C23) and methyl 1-methyl-5-((1-oxo-1-((perfluorophenyl)amino)propan-2-yl)oxy)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate (C33) were found to provide better growth-inhibition activities against Digitaria sanguinalis root than those of nicosulfuron, mesotrione and pretilachlor at 200 mg L-1 using the small-cup method. These compounds were also identified as promising compounds in pre-emergence and postemergence herbicidal-activity experiments, with relatively good inhibitory effects toward Amaranthus retroflexus and D. sanguinalis at 150 g ai ha-1. In addition, enzyme inhibition assays and molecular docking studies revealed that C23 and C33 interact favourably with SvTKL (Setaria viridis TKL).

CONCLUSION

C23 and C33 are promising lead TKL inhibitors for the optimization of new herbicides. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity of Novel Triketone-Containing Phenoxy Nicotinyl Inhibitors of HPPD

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) is a crucial target enzyme in albino herbicides. The inhibition of HPPD activity interferes with the synthesis of carotenoids, blocking photosynthesis and resulting in bleaching and necrosis. To develop herbicides with excellent activity, a series of 3-hydroxy-2-(6-substituted phenoxynicotinoyl)-2-cyclohexen-1-one derivatives were designed via active substructure combination. The title compounds were characterized via infrared spectroscopy, 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The structure of compound III-17 was confirmed via single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Preliminary tests demonstrated that some compounds had good herbicidal activity. Crop safety tests revealed that compound III-29 was safer than the commercial herbicide mesotrione in wheat and peanuts. Moreover, the compound exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against Arabidopsis thaliana HPPD (AtHPPD), with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 0.19 μM, demonstrating superior activity compared with mesotrione (0.28 μM) in vitro. A three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship study revealed that the introduction of smaller groups to the 5-position of cyclohexanedione and negative charges to the 3-position of the benzene ring enhanced the herbicidal activity. A molecular structure comparison demonstrated that compound III-29 was beneficial to plant absorption and conduction. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations further verified the stability of the complex formed by compound III-29 and AtHPPD. Thus, this study may provide insights into the development of green and efficient herbicides.

The emergence of machine learning force fields in drug design

In the field of molecular simulation for drug design, traditional molecular mechanic force fields and quantum chemical theories have been instrumental but limited in terms of scalability and computational efficiency. To overcome these limitations, machine learning force fields (MLFFs) have emerged as a powerful tool capable of balancing accuracy with efficiency. MLFFs rely on the relationship between molecular structures and potential energy, bypassing the need for a preconceived notion of interaction representations. Their accuracy depends on the machine learning models used, and the quality and volume of training data sets. With recent advances in equivariant neural networks and high-quality datasets, MLFFs have significantly improved their performance. This review explores MLFFs, emphasizing their potential in drug design. It elucidates MLFF principles, provides development and validation guidelines, and highlights successful MLFF implementations. It also addresses potential challenges in developing and applying MLFFs. The review concludes by illuminating the path ahead for MLFFs, outlining the challenges to be overcome and the opportunities to be harnessed. This inspires researchers to embrace MLFFs in their investigations as a new tool to perform molecular simulations in drug design.

A Protocol for Activated Bioorthogonal Fluorescence Labeling and Imaging of 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase in Plants

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) plays a crucial role in the synthesis of nutrients needed to maintain optimal plant growth. Its level is closely linked to the extent of abiotic stress experienced by plants. Moreover, it is also the target of commercial herbicides. Therefore, labeling of HPPD in plants not only enables visualization of its tissue distribution and cellular uptake, it also facilitates assessment of abiotic stress of plants and provides information needed for the development of effective environmentally friendly herbicides. In this study, we created a method for fluorescence labeling of HPPD that avoids interference with the normal growth of plants. In this strategy, a perylene-linked dibenzyl-cyclooctyne undergoes strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition with an azide-containing HPPD ligand. The activation-based labeling process results in a significant emission enhancement caused by the change in the fluorescent forms from an excimer to a monomer. Notably, this activated bioorthogonal strategy is applicable to visualizing HPPD in Arabidopsis thaliana, and assessing its response to multiple abiotic stresses. Also, it can be employed to monitor in vivo levels and locations of HPPD in crops. Consequently, the labeling strategy will be a significant tool in investigations of HPPD-related abiotic stress mechanisms, discovering novel herbicides, and uncovering unknown biological functions.

Herbicidal Activity of Beflubutamid Analogues as PDS Inhibitors and SAR Analysis and Degradation Dynamics in Wheat

In this work, a series of beflubutamid (BF) analogues' postemergent herbicidal activity was evaluated, and the structure-activity relationship (SAR) was discussed. At a dosage of 300 g ai/ha, compounds (Rac)-6h and (Rac)-6q showed excellent herbicidal activity against Amaranthus retroflexus, Abutilon theophrasti, and Medicago sativa, with inhibition rates of 90, 100, and 80% and 100, 100, and 100%, respectively, comparable to that of commercial herbicide BF, which showed inhibition rates of 90, 100, and 100%, respectively. Notably, at dosages of 150 and 300 g ai/ha, the chiral compounds (S)-6h and (S)-6q exhibited higher herbicidal activities than their racemates. Molecular docking results indicated that compounds (S)-BF and (S)-6h have stronger binding affinities with Oryza sativa phytoene desaturase (OsPDS), resulting in a higher herbicidal activity. Additionally, the degradation dynamics half-life of (S)-BF in wheat was determined to be 77.02 h. Consequently, compounds (S)-6h and (S)-6q are promising lead candidates for the development of highly effective herbicides.