Synthesis and evaluation of novel N-(4′-arylpyrimidin-2′-yl) sulfonylurea derivatives as potential antifungal agents

Molecular Targets of Herbicides and Fungicides─Are There Useful Overlaps for Fungicide Discovery?

New fungicide modes of action are needed for fungicide resistance management strategies. Several commercial herbicide targets found in fungi that are not utilized by commercial fungicides are discussed as possible fungicide molecular targets. These are acetyl CoA carboxylase, acetolactate synthase, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, glutamine synthase, phytoene desaturase, protoporphyrinogen oxidase, long-chain fatty acid synthase, dihydropteroate synthase, hydroxyphenyl pyruvate dioxygenase, and Ser/Thr protein phosphatase. Some of the inhibitors of these herbicide targets appear to be either good fungicides or good leads for new fungicides. For example, some acetolactate synthase and dihydropteroate inhibitors are excellent fungicides. There is evidence that some herbicides have indirect benefits to certain crops due to their effects on fungal crop pathogens. Using a pesticide with both herbicide and fungicide activities based on the same molecular target could reduce the total amount of pesticide used. The limitations of such a product are discussed.

Computer-Assisted Improvement of Sulfonylureas with Antifungal Properties and Limited Herbicidal Activity: Potential Application in Forage Conservation

This work reports studies at the molecular level of a series of modified sulfonylureas to determine the chemophoric sites responsible for their antifungal and herbicidal activities. For forage conservation, high antifungal potency and low phytotoxicity are required. A molecular modeling study based on multivariate image analysis applied to quantitative structure-activity relationship (MIA-QSAR) was performed to model these properties, as well as to guide the design of new agrochemical candidates. As a result, the MIA-QSAR models were reliable, robust, and predictive; for antifungal activity, the averages of the main validation parameters were r² = 0.936, q² = 0.741, and r²_pred = 0.720, and for herbicidal activity, the model was very predictive (r²_pred = 0.981 and r²_m = 0.944). From the interpretation of the MIA-plots, 46 novel sulfonylureas with likely improved performance were proposed, from which 9 presented promising calculated selectivity indexes. Docking studies were performed to validate the QSAR predictions and to understand the interaction mode of the proposed ligands with the acetohydroxyacid synthase enzyme.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of N-((2-phenyloxazol-4-yl)methyl) Pyrimidine Carboxamide Derivatives as Potential Fungicidal Agents

Twelve N-((2-phenyloxazol-4-yl)methyl) pyrimidine carboxamide derivatives were designed, synthesized, and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. The fungicidal activities of these new compounds against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Botrytis cinereal, and Colletotrichum fragariae were evaluated. The results indicated that compounds 5b, 5f, and 5g displayed potential fungicidal activities against tested fungi, especially 5f exhibited IC50 value of 28.9 mg/L against S. sclerotiorum. Moreover, the compounds 5f and 5g showed IC50 values of 54.8 mg/L and 62.2 mg/L against C. fragariae respectively, which shows that they were more active than the commercial fungicide hymexazol. The superficial structure-activity relationships were discussed, which may be of benefit for the development of fungicides and discovery of novel fungicides.

A facile synthesis of sulfonylureas via water assisted preparation of carbamates

A novel and simple approach to the synthesis of sulfonylureas has been reported. It involved the reaction of various amines with diphenyl carbonate to yield the corresponding carbamates, which subsequently reacted with different sulphonamides to produce different sulfonylureas in excellent yields. The first reaction of diphenyl carbonate with amines was carried out in aqueous : organic (H₂O : THF, 90 : 10) medium at room temperature to produce carbamates that paved a straightforward route to sulfonylureas after reaction with sulfonamides. The above process avoided traditional multistep protocols and the use of hazardous, irritant, toxic and moisture sensitive reagents such as phosgene, isocyanates and/or chloroformates.