Synthesis, Nematicidal Activity and Docking Study of Novel Pyrazole-4-Carboxamide Derivatives Against Meloidogyne incognita

Cypyrafluone, a 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase Inhibitor to Control Weed in Wheat Fields

As a bleaching herbicide, cypyrafluone was applied postemergence in wheat fields for annual weed control; especially, this herbicide possesses high efficacy against cool-season grass weed species such as Alopecurus aequalis and Alopecurus japonicus. In this study, the target of action of cypyrafluone on 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibition was confirmed. This herbicide caused severe foliar whitening symptoms at 5-7 days after treatment (DAT) and death of the whole plant within 10 DAT. Significant increases in phytoene content and significant decreases in kinds of carotenoid and chlorophyll pigments were observed. The content of chlorophyll pigments in cypyrafluone-treated Spirodela polyrhiza decreased upon the addition of homogentisic acid (HGA), which indicated that cypyrafluone prevents the HGA production, possibly by inhibiting the catalytic activity of 4-HPPD. Indeed, cypyrafluone strongly inhibited the catalytic activity of Arabidopsis thaliana HPPD produced by Escherichia coli, which was approximately 2 times less effective than mesotrione. In addition, overexpression of Oryza sativa HPPD in rice and A. thaliana both conferred a high tolerance level to cypyrafluone on them. Molecular docking found that cypyrafluone bonded well to the active site of the HPPD and formed a bidentate coordination interaction with the Fe²⁺ atom, with distances of 2.6 and 2.7 Å between oxygen atoms and the Fe²⁺ atom and a binding energy of -8.0 kcal mol^-1.

Antimicrobial and anthelmintic activities of aryl urea agents

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to characterise compounds with activity against carbapenemase-expressing Gram-negative bacteria and nematodes and evaluate their cytotoxicity to non-cancerous human cells.

METHODS

The antimicrobial activity and toxicity of a series of phenyl-substituted urea derivatives were evaluated using broth microdilution, chitinase, and resazurin reduction assays.

RESULTS

The effects of different substitutions present on the nitrogen atoms of the urea backbone were investigated. Several compounds were active against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli control strains. Specifically, derivatives 7b, 11b, and 67d exhibited antimicrobial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae 16, a carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae species, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 100, 50, and 72 µM (32, 64, and 32 mg/L), respectively. In addition, the MICs obtained against a multidrug-resistant E. coli strain were 100, 50, and 36 µM (32, 16, and 16 mg/L) for the same compounds, respectively. Furthermore, the urea derivatives 18b, 29b, 50c, 51c, 52c, 55c-59c, and 62c were very active towards the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

CONCLUSIONS

Testing on non-cancerous human cell lines suggested that some of the compounds have the potential to affect bacteria, especially helminths, with limited cytotoxicity to humans. Given the simplicity of synthesis for this class of compounds and their potency against Gram-negative, carbapenemase-expressing K. pneumoniae, aryl ureas possessing the 3,5-dichloro-phenyl group certainly warrant further investigation to exploit their selectivity.

Synthesis and pesticidal activity of new 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioether compounds containing a trifluoromethylpyrazoyl moiety

In order to find new lead compounds with high pesticidal activity, a series of 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioether compounds (5 series) were designed by using penthiopyrad as a synthon. They were synthesized easily via five steps by using ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-oxobutanoate and triethyl orthoformate as starting materials. The synthesized compounds were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and HRMS. The compound 2-(benzylthio)-5-(1-methyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (5a) was further determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. It crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/c, Z = 4. All the 1,3,4-oxadiazole thioether derivatives were screened for fungicidal activity against ten fungi and herbicidal activity against two weeds. The bioassay results indicated that some of the synthesized 1,3,4-oxadiazole compounds exhibited good fungicidal activity (> 50% inhibition) against the plant pathogens Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Rhizoctonia solani at 50 μg/mL. Some of them exhibited certain herbicidal activity, and compounds 2-((3-chlorobenzyl)thio)-5-(1-methyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (5e) and 2-((4-bromobenzyl)thio)-5-(1-methyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (5 g) had bleach effect. Molecular docking is to find the best fit orientation of the 2-((4-bromobenzyl)thio)-5-(1-methyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (5 g) molecule with the SDH protein (PDB: 2FBW). The docking results indicate that the compound 5 g and the lead compound penthiopyrad have similar binding interactions with SDH and carbonyl is a key group for these compounds.

Synthesis, Structure, and Antifungal Activities of 3-(Difluoromethyl)-Pyrazole-4-Carboxylic Oxime Ester Derivatives

Fifteen new pyrazole-4-carboxylic oxime ester derivatives were conveniently synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS, and X-ray diffraction. Antifungal assays indicated that some of these compounds possessed good activity against S. sclerotiorum, B. cinerea, R. solani, P. oryae, and P. piricola at 50 ppm. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) were studied by molecular docking simulation.

Design, Synthesis, Structure-Activity Relationship, Molecular Docking, and Herbicidal Evaluation of 2-Cinnamoyl-3-Hydroxycyclohex-2-en-1-one Derivatives as Novel 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase Inhibitors

Cinnamic acid, isolated from cinnamon bark, is a natural product with excellent bioactivity, and it effectively binds with cyclohexanedione to form novel 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitors. According to the active sub-structure combination principle, a series of novel 3-hydroxy-2-cinnamoyl-2-en-1-one derivatives were designed and synthesized. The title compounds were characterized by infrared, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and HRMS. The in vitro inhibitory activity of AtHPPD verified that compound II-13 showed the most activity with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 0.180 μM, which was superior to that of mesotrione (0.206 μM) in vitro. The preliminary herbicidal activity tests demonstrated that some compounds had good herbicidal activity especially compound II-13 at a concentration of 150 g ai/ha. The binding mode of AtHPPD through molecular docking indicated that two oxygens of compounds II-13 formed bidentate interactions with metal ions, and the benzene ring formed π-π accumulation effects with Phe-381 and Phe-424. The results of molecular dynamics simulations showed that compound II-13 exhibited a more stable binding ability with AtHPPD than mesotrione. This study provided insights into the development of natural and efficient herbicides in the future.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Anticonvulsant Activities of 4-Phenylpiperidin- 2-one Derivatives

Background:

Although Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs) acting on various targets have been applied in the clinic, the efficacy and tolerance of AEDs in the treatment of epilepsy have not significantly improved. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop some novel chemical moieties with a better safety profile and greater efficacy. We designed and synthesized twenty-seven 4- phenylpiperidin-2-one derivatives. This study aimed to investigate the potential use of a series of 4- phenylpiperidin-2-one derivatives as anticonvulsant drugs.

Methods:

Two experimental methods, Maximal Electroshock (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ), were used to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of the target compounds. Moreover, neurotoxicity (NT) was tested using the rotarod test.

Results:

Compound 7-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-6,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]pyridin-5-(4H)-one (11; MES, ED50 = 23.7 mg/kg, PI > 33.7; PTZ, ED50 = 78.1 mg/kg, PI > 10.0) showed the best anticonvulsant activity. The results of in vivo γ-aminobutyric Acid (GABA) estimation showed that compound 11 may have an effect on the GABA system. Compound 11 showed significant interactions with residues at the benzodiazepine (BZD)-binding site on GABAA receptors. Most target compounds have favorable blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability and oral bioavailability in predictions using silico molecular properties.

Conclusion:

According to the in vivo and in silico studies, compound 11 stand out as potential anticonvulsant agents for further studies.

Synthesis and herbicidal activity of novel pyrazole aromatic ketone analogs as HPPD inhibitor

BACKGROUND

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD, EC 1.13.11.27) has been a good target for herbicide discovery. In order to discover novel HPPD herbicides, a series of pyrazole aromatic ketone analogs were designed and synthesized.

RESULTS

The 25 pyrazole aromatic ketone analogs synthesized were tested for herbicidal activity and compounds A1, A3, A4, A17, A20 and A25 displayed excellent herbicidal activity against Chenopodium serotinum, Stellaria media and Brassica juncea at 37.5 g ha^-1 . In addition, compounds A1, A5, A9, A10, A16, A17, A20 and A25 exhibited good crop selectivity for wheat, maize and rice at 150 g ha^-1 . Inhibition activities against AtHPPD proved the compounds were HPPD inhibitors. The structure-activity relationship of these pyrazole aromatic ketone analogs was studied using molecular docking.

CONCLUSION

These pyrazole aromatic ketone derivatives could be used as lead structures for development of HPPD herbicides against dicotyledonous weeds with further structure modification. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Novel 4-pyrazole carboxamide derivatives containing flexible chain motif: design, synthesis and antifungal activity

BACKGROUND

In recent years, carboxamide fungicides, targeting succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), have shown highly efficient and broad spectrum fungicidal activity. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) results for these commercial fungicides show that the carboxamide group was a key active group. This is useful information for the discovery of new pyrazole carboxamide derivatives with fungicidal activity.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven novel pyrazole carboxamides were designed and synthesized. Their fungicidal activities against Gibberella zeae, Phytophthora infestans, Phytophthora capsici, Rhizoctonia solani, Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, Cercospora arachidicola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Physalospora piricola were tested; derivatives possessed excellent inhibitory at 50 mg L^-1 in particular. Furthermore, some pyrazole carboxamides exhibited remarkably high activities against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in vitro with EC₅₀ values of 2.04 to 15.2 μg mL^-1 . In addition, some compounds also exhibited high activities against Physalospora piricola, Cercospora arachidicola and Phytophthora capsici. Inhibition activities against SDH proved that the designed analogues were effective at the enzyme level. The SAR of these pyrazole carboxamides was studied by using the docking method.

CONCLUSION

It is possible that pyrazole carboxamides, which exhibit good activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, can be further optimized as a lead compounds of carboxamide fungicides. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Novel Trifluoromethylpyrazole Acyl Thiourea Derivatives: Synthesis, Antifungal Activity and Docking Study

Background:

In recent years, pyrazole carboxamide derivatives possessed excellent fungicidal activity. In the process of designing new fungicides, the carboxamide group was modified in order to find novel structure pyrazole carboxamide derivatives.

Methods:

Ten novel trifluoromethyl pyrazole acyl thiourea derivatives were designed and synthesized. In vivo fungicidal activities of these compounds were tested against Fusarium oxysporum, Corynespora mazei and Botrytis cinerea, respectively

Results:

Particularly compounds exhibited significant control effective at 100 mg/L. More importantly, some compounds showed the good control effective at 10 mg/L. Furthermore, docking was established to study the structure-activity relationship of the title compounds.

Conclusion:

It is possible that trifluoromethylpyrazole acyl thiurea derivatives, which possess good control effective against Botrytis cinerea, may become novel lead compounds for the development of fungicides with further structure modification.