Synthesis and Larvicidal Activity of Novel Thenoylhydrazide Derivatives

In vitro larvicidal activity of selected azabenzimidazole and diarylquinoline derivatives against Anopheles gambiae and in silico mechanistic analysis

Different species of mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting infectious diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, lymphatic filariasis, rift valley fever, west nile fever, yellow fever, zika virus, and malaria. Particularly, malaria infection is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa region, and female anopheles mosquitoes is responsible for the transmission of the parasite causing the infection. The growing resistance of mosquitoes to conventional insecticides and the need to complement existing strategies for the elimination of malaria transmission necessitate the exploration of alternative vector control strategies. In this study, we investigated the in vitro larvicidal potential of three examples of diarylquinoline and two examples of azabenzimidazole derivatives against the fourth instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae. The compounds were also evaluated in silico, specifically targeting odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) of An. gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus. The larvicidal assay indicated that three of the compounds exhibited significant bioactivity, with LC50 below 20 µg/ml after 48 h. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations further elucidated the binding interactions between the active compounds and the selected OBPs, revealing high binding affinities and stable protein-ligand complexes. These findings suggest that two of the tested compounds have promising potential for optimization into larvicidal agents with OBPs inhibitory potential while complimenting existing mosquito control tools.

Tyrosinase-mediated synthesis of larvicidal active 1,5-diphenyl pent-4-en-1-one derivatives against Culex quinquefasciatus and investigation of their ichthyotoxicity

1,5-diphenylpent-4-en-1-one derivatives were synthesised using the grindstone method with Cu(II)-tyrosinase used as a catalyst. This method showed a high yield under mild reaction conditions. The synthesised compounds were identified by FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. In this study, a total of 17 compounds (1a-1q) were synthesised, and their larvicidal and antifeedant activities were evaluated. Compound 1i (1-(5-oxo-1,5-diphenylpent-1-en-3-yl)-3-(3-phenylallylidene)thiourea) was notably more active (LD50: 28.5 µM) against Culex quinquefasciatus than permethrin(54.6 µM) and temephos(37.9 µM), whereas compound 1i at 100 µM caused 0% mortality in Oreochromis mossambicus within 24 h in an antifeedant screening, with ichthyotoxicity determined as the death ratio (%) at 24 h. Compounds 1a, 1e, 1f, 1j, and 1k were found to be highly toxic, whereas 1i was not toxic in antifeedant screening. Compound 1i was found to possess a high larvicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus and was non-toxic to non-target aquatic species. Molecular docking studies also supported the finding that 1i is a potent larvicide with higher binding energy than the control (- 10.0 vs. - 7.6 kcal/mol) in the 3OGN protein. Lead molecules are important for their larvicidal properties and application as insecticides.

Reporter gene assays for screening and identification of novel molting hormone- and juvenile hormone-like chemicals

A reporter gene assay (RGA) is used to investigate the activity of synthetic chemicals mimicking the molting hormones (MHs) and juvenile hormones (JHs) of insects, so-called insect growth regulators (IGRs). The MH receptor, a heterodimer of the ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP), and the JH receptor Methoprene-tolerant (Met) are ligand-dependent transcription factors. Ligand-bound EcR-USP and Met bind to specific cis-acting DNA elements, referred to as the ecdysone-responsive element (EcRE) and the JH-responsive element (JHRE), respectively, in order to transactivate target genes. Insect hormone-induced transactivation systems have been reconstituted by the introduction of reporter genes under the control of EcRE and JHRE, or two-hybrid reporter genes, into insect, mammalian, and yeast cells expressing receptor proteins. RGA is easy to use and convenient for examining the MH- and JH-like activities of synthetic chemicals and is suitable for the high-throughput screening of novel structural classes of chemicals targeting EcR-USP and Met.

Green catalyst Cu(II)-enzyme-mediated eco-friendly synthesis of 2-pyrimidinamines as potential larvicides against Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito and toxicity investigation against non-target aquatic species

Novel one-pot multicomponent synthesis of 2-pyrimidinamine derivatives can be achieved via green chemistry, using Cu(II)-tyrosinase enzyme (Cu-Tyr) as a catalyst. This method offers mild reaction conditions and a high yield of derivatives. We synthesised several compounds in this manner and evaluated their larvicidal, and antifeedant activities. Out of the synthesised derivatives, compound 3, with a median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of 21.43 µg/mL, was highly active against Culex quinquefasciatus, compared to compounds 1a-m and 2, and the control, hydantocidin. Compounds 1j, 1d, and 1e were low active against C. quinquefasciatus with LD₅₀ values of 78.46, 78.59, and 79.54 µg/mL, respectively. In antifeedant screening, compounds 1j, 1l, and 2 generated 100% mortality within 24 h against Oreochromis mossambicus at 100 µg/mL, where toxicity was determined as the ratio of the number of dead and live fingerlings (%) at 24 h. In contrast, compounds 1a-f, 1i, 1m, and 3 were less toxic to O. mossambicus as compared to the control, dibromoisophakellin. Therefore, compound 3 had high larvicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus and was less toxic to non-target aquatic species. Molecular docking studies also supported the finding that compound 3 was an effective larvicide with more inhibition ability than the control hydantocidin (-9.6 vs. -6.1 kcal/mol).

Synthesis of novel benzopyran-connected pyrimidine and pyrazole derivatives via a green method using Cu(ii)-tyrosinase enzyme catalyst as potential larvicidal, antifeedant activities

A series of benzopyran-connected pyrimidine (1a-g) and benzopyran-connected pyrazole (2a-i) derivatives were synthesized via Biginelli reaction using a green chemistry approach. Cu(ii)-tyrosinase was used as a catalyst in the synthesis of compounds 1a-g and 2a-ivia the Biginelli reaction. The as-synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The as-synthesized compounds were screened for larvicidal and antifeedant activities. The larvicidal activity was evaluated using the mosquito species Culex quinquefasciatus, and the antifeedant activity was evaluated using the fishes of Oreochromis mossambicus. The compounds 2a-i demonstrated lethal effects, killing 50% of second instar mosquito larvae when their LD50 values were 44.17, 34.96, 45.29, 45.28, 75.96, and 28.99 μg mL-1, respectively. Molecular docking studies were used for analysis based on the binding ability of an odorant binding protein (OBP) of Culex quinquefasciatus with compound 2h (binding energy = -6.12 kcal mol-1) and compound 1g (binding energy = -5.79 kcal mol-1). Therefore, the proposed target compounds were synthesized via a green method using Cu(ii)-enzyme as a catalyst to give high yield (94%). In biological screening, benzopyran-connected pyrazole (2h) was highly active compared with benzopyran-connected pyrimidine (1a-g) series in terms of larivicidal activity.

Cytotoxic, larvicidal, nematicidal, and antifeedant activities of piperidin-connected 2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one derivatives

The objective of this study was to investigate brine shrimp cytotoxicity, larvicidal, nematicidal, and antifeedant activities of novel piperidin-connected 2-thioxo-imidazolidin-4-one derivatives. The activities of target compounds were compared with some naturally occurring (-)-pinidinol, hydantocidin, and positive controls. Target compounds were synthesized via cyclocondensation method. The compounds were synthesized and then characterized by infrared spectroscopy, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectral, and elemental analyses. Brine shrimp cytotoxicity assay was investigated using freshly hatched, free-swimming nauplii of Artemiasalina. Larvicidal screening was performed against urban mosquito larvae (Culex quinquefasciatus). Nematicidal activity was evaluated using juvenile nematodes of Meloidogyne javanica. Regarding antifeedant activity, marine-acclimated Oreochromis mossambicus fingerlings were used. Compounds 3a-c (piperidin-connected 2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one) were found to be lethal to the second instar larvae of mosquito, which produced LD50 values of 1.37, 6.66, 6.51 μg/mL, compared to compounds (-) pinidinol and hyantocidin LD50 values of 18.28 and 22.11 μg/mL respectively. Compound 3a-c was found to kill 100% of fish fingerlings within 6 h at 20 µg/mL, with LD50 values of 1.54, 1.79, 1.52 µg/mL, compared to compounds (-) pinidinol and hyantocidin with LD50 values of 10.21 and 21.05 μg/mL respectively. Compound 3c with LD50 value of 1.57 μg/mL demonstrated high nematicidal activity compared to compound 3a, 3b, (-) Pinidinol and Hyantocidin LD50 values of 6.45, 2.42, 14.25, 26.30 μg/mL respectively. Therefore, the 2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one with piperidin ring showed high potential cytotoxic, larvicidal, nematicidal, and antifeedent activities.