Synthesis and insecticidal activity of novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives containing trifluoroacetyl moieties

Structural Features of Coumarin-1,2,4-Triazole Hybrids Important for Insecticidal Effects Against Drosophila melanogaster and Orius laevigatus (Fieber)

Although the present use of pesticides in plant protection has limited the occurrence and development of plant diseases and pests, resistance to pesticides and their environmental and health hazards indicates an urgent need for new active ingredients in plant protection products. Recently synthesized coumarin-1,2,4-triazole hybrid compounds have been proven effective against plant pathogenic fungi and safe for soil-beneficial bacteria. Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, has been used as a model organism for scientific research. Additionally, it is considered a pest since it damages fruits and serves as a carrier for various plant diseases. On the contrary, Orius laevigatus is a beneficial true bug that biologically controls harmful arthropods in agricultural production. In the present study, we performed an adulticidal bioassay against D. melanogaster and O. laevigatus using coumarin-1,2,4-triazole hybrids. Quantitative structure-activity relationship studies (QSARs) and in silico ecotoxicity evaluation elucidated the structural features underlying the compounds' insecticidal activity. The derivative of 4-methylcoumarin-1,2,4-triazole with a 3-bromophenyl group showed great insecticidal potential. A molecular docking study indicated that the most active compound probably binds to glutamate-gated chloride channels.

Triazole derivatives as potential xanthine oxidase inhibitors: Design, enzyme inhibition potential, and docking studies

Considerable ingenuity has been shown in the recent years in the discovery of novel xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors that fall outside the purine scaffold. The triazole nucleus has been the cornerstone for the development of many enzyme inhibitors for the clinical management of several diseases, where hyperuricemia is one of them. Here, we give a critical overview of significant research on triazole-based XO inhibitors, with respect to their design, synthesis, inhibition potential, toxicity, and docking studies, done till now. Based on these literature findings, we can expect a burst of modifications on triazole-based scaffolds in the near future by targeting XO, which will treat hyperuricemics, that is, painful conditions like gout that at present are hard to deal with.

Discovery of Potential Rosin-Based Triazole Antifungal Candidates to Control Valsa mali for Sustainable Crop Protection

To investigate the potential application value of dehydroabietic acid, 27 novel dehydroabietyl-1,2,4-triazole-5-thioether-based derivatives were designed and characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and LC-MS. Their antifungal activities were evaluated against five plant fungi, namely, Valsa mali, Colletotrichum orbiculare, Fusarium graminearum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Gaeumannomyces graminis; the results showed that compound 5h-1 (Co. 5h-1) exhibited a considerable inhibitory effect against V. mali. Moreover, in vivo experiments indicated that Co. 5h-1 had a certain protective effect on apple branches. The preliminary structure-activity relationship analysis suggested that the electron-withdrawing group on the benzyl group was significantly better than that of other substituent derivatives. Through electron microscopy analysis, it was found that Co. 5h-1 hindered the growth of mycelia, damaged their cell structure, and caused the large accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Preliminary research on the mode of action indicated that Co. 5h-1 could affect the activity of CAT by increasing the α-helix (0.790%), decreasing the β-sheet (0.170%), which led to the accumulation of ROS. In addition, Co. 5h-1 also affected the activity of CYP51, hindered the biosynthesis of ergosterol, and increased cell membrane permeability. Overall, this above research proposed that Co. 5h-1 can be a novel leading structure for development of a fungicide agent.

Discovery of dolutegravir-1,2,3-triazole derivatives against prostate cancer via inducing DNA damage

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer among men, causing a huge number of deaths each year. Traditional chemotherapy for PCa mostly focused on targeting androgen receptors. However, some of the patients would develop resistance to hormonal therapy. In these cases, it is suggested for these patients to administer treatments in combination with other chemotherapeutics. Current chemotherapeutics for metastatic castration-resistant PCa could hardly reach satisfying effects, therefore it is crucial to explore novel agents with low cytotoxicity. Herein, a common drug against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the dolutegravir (DTG) was modified to become a series of dolutegravir-1,2,3-triazole derivatives. Among these compounds, the 4d and 4q derivatives were verified with high anti-tumor efficiency, suppressing the proliferation of the prostate cancer cells PC3 and DU145. These compounds function by binding to the poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP), inactivating the PARP and inducing DNA damage in cancer cells. It is noteworthy that the 4d and 4q derivatives showed almost no impact on normal cells and mice. Thereby, the results reveal that these dolutegravir-1,2,3-triazole compounds are potential chemotherapeutics for PCa treatment.

Design and Synthesis of Antifungal Candidates Containing Triazole Scaffold from Natural Rosin against Valsa mali for Crop Protection

Two series of dehydroabietyl-1,2,4-triazole-4-Schiff-based derivatives were synthesized from rosin to control plant fungal diseases. In vitro evaluation and screening of the antifungal activity were performed using Valsa mali, Colletotrichum orbiculare, Fusarium graminearum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Gaeumannomyces graminis. Compound 3f showed excellent fungicidal activity against V. mali (EC₅₀ = 0.537 μg/mL), which was significantly more effective than the positive control fluconazole (EC₅₀ = 4.707 μg/mL). Compound 3f also had a considerable protective effect against V. mali (61.57%-92.16%), which was slightly lower than that of fluconazole (85.17-100%) at 25-100 μg/mL. Through physiological and biochemical analyses, the preliminary mode of action of compound 3f against V. mali was explored. Ultrastructural observation of mycelia showed that compound 3f hindered the growth of the mycelium and destroyed the ultrastructure of V. mali seriously. Conductivity analysis and laser scanning confocal microscope staining showed that compound 3f changed cell-membrane permeability and caused accumulation of reactive oxygen species. The enzyme activity results showed that compound 3f significantly inhibited the activity of CYP51 (59.70%), SOD (76.9%), and CAT (67.86%). Molecular docking identified strong interaction energy between compound 3f and crystal structures of CYP51 (-11.18 kcal/mol), SOD (-9.25 kcal/mol), and CAT (-8.79 kcal/mol). These results provide guidance for the discovery of natural product-based antifungal pesticide candidates.

Design, synthesis, and insecticidal activity of a novel series of flupyrimin analogs bearing 1-aryl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl subunits

To discover new potential insecticides to protect agricultural crops from damage, a series of novel flupyrimin derivatives containing an arylpyrazole core were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. Bioassays indicated that the 31 compounds synthesized possessed excellent insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella. Among these target compounds, the lethality of A3, B1-B6, D4, and D6 reached 100% at 400 μg/ml. Moreover, when the concentration dropped to 25 μg/ml, the insecticidal activities against the Plutella xylostella for compounds B2, B3, and B4 still reached more than 70%. The structure–activity relationship of the Plutella xylostella was discussed. The density functional theory analysis of flupyrimin and B4 was carried out to support the abovementioned structure–activity relationship. The possible binding modes between receptor and active groups in title compounds were also verified by docking simulation. These results provided new ideas for the development of these novel candidate insecticides in the future.