Novel Cyclopenta[c]pyridine Derivatives Based on Natural Cerbinal as Potential Agrochemical Anti-TMV Agents and Insecticides

Based on natural cerbinal, a series of novel 4-bit modified cyclopenta[c]pyridine derivatives containing a substituted amide or ester moiety were designed and synthesized for the first time. Their structures were systematically characterized by NMR and high-resolution mass spectra (HRMS). The anti-TMV activities, such as protection, inactivation, and curative effects in vivo, were evaluated methodically. The lethal activities of the target compounds against the agriculturally common pests Plutella xylostella larvae and Aphis laburni kaltenbach were evaluated by the immersion method. The bioassay results indicated that most of the target compounds exhibited good to excellent anti-TMV activity levels, good lethal activity against P. xylostella larvae at 600 μg/mL, and greater insecticidal activities against A. laburni Kaltenbach compared to the plant-derived insecticide rotenone. The binding mode of cerbinal and cyclopenta[c]pyridine derivatives 4b, 4p, and 4v with the TMV protein was studied with a molecular docking method, which indicated that the functional group of the 2- and 4-positions is vital for anti-TMV activity. The systematic research provides strong evidence that these novel 4-bit modified cyclopenta[c]pyridine derivatives could become potential agrochemical insecticides and anti-TMV agents.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activities of Novel Coumarin Derivatives as Pesticide Candidates

Food security is an important issue in the 21st century; preventing and controlling crop diseases and pests are the key to solve this problem. The creation of new pesticides based on natural products is an important and effective method. Herein, coumarins were selected as parent structures, and a series of their derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their antiviral activities, fungicidal activities, and insecticidal activities. We found that coumarin derivatives exhibited good to excellent antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). The antiviral activities of I-1, I-2a, I-4b, II-2c, II-2g, II-3, and II-3b are better than that of ribavirin at 500 μg/mL. Molecular docking research showed that these compounds had a strong interaction with TMV CP. These compounds also showed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against 14 plant pathogenic fungi. The EC50 values of I-1, I-2a, I-3c, and II-2d are in the range of 1.56-8.65 μg/mL against Rhizoctonia cerealis, Physalospora piricola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Pyricularia grisea. Most of the compounds also displayed good insecticidal activities against Mythimna separata. Pesticide-likeness analysis showed that these compounds are following pesticide-likeness and have the potential to be developed as pesticide candidates. The present work lays a foundation for the discovery of novel pesticide lead compounds based on coumarin derivatives.

C-Alkylated flavonoids from the whole plants of Desmodium caudatum and their anti-TMV activity

BACKGROUND

Natural products are important sources of biopesticides to control plant virus, and flavonoids are identified as promising anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) agents. Since Desmodium caudatum is a rich source of flavonoids, this study focuses on the discovery of the new anti-TMV active flavonoids from D. caudatum and their possible mode of action.

RESULTS

Three new (compounds 1-3) and nine known (compounds 4-12) C-alkylated flavonoids were isolated from D. caudatum. To the best of our knowledge, the framework of 1-3 was reported in natural products for the first time. In addition, 1-3, 5, and 6 showed notable anti-TMV activity with inhibition rates in the range of 35.8-64.3% at a concentration of 50 μg/mL, and these rates are higher than that of positive control (with inhibition rates of 34.6% ± 2.8). In addition, the structure-activity relationship study revealed that the (pyrrol-2-yl)methyl moiety on flavone can significantly increases the activity. This result is helpful to find new anti-TMV inhibitors.

CONCLUSION

C-Alkylated flavonoids showed potent activities against TMV with multiple modes of actions. The increase of defense-related enzyme activities, up-regulate the expression of defense related genes, down-regulate the expression of Hsp70 protein by inhibiting the related Hsp genes that are involved in tobacco resistance to TMV. By the actions mentioned earlier, the infection of TMV was influenced, thereby achieving the effects of control of TMV. The successful isolation of the earlier-mentioned flavonoids provide the new source of biopesticides to TMV proliferation, and also contribute to the utilization of D. caudatum. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Discovery of Chiral Diamine Derivatives Containing 1,2-Diphenylethylenediamine as Novel Antiviral and Fungicidal Agents

Severe plant virus diseases lead to poor harvests and poor crop quality, and the lack of effective suppressive drugs makes plant disease control a huge challenge. Natural product-based structural simplification is an important strategy for finding novel pesticide candidates. According to our previous research on the antiviral activities of harmine and tetrahydroharmine derivatives, a series of chiral diamine compounds were designed and synthesized by means of structural simplification using diamines in natural products as the core structure in this work, and the antiviral and fungicidal activities were investigated. Most of these compounds displayed higher antiviral activities than those of ribavirin. Compounds 1a and 4g displayed higher antiviral activities than ningnanmycin at 500 μg/mL. The antiviral mechanism research revealed that compounds 1a and 4g could inhibit virus assembly by binding to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) CP and interfere with the assembly process of TMV CP and RNA via transmission electron microscopy and molecular docking. Further fungicidal activity tests showed that these compounds displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities. Compounds 3a, 3i, 5c, and 5d with excellent fungicidal activities against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cucumerinum can be considered as new fungicidal candidates for further research. The current work provides a reference to the development of agricultural active ingredients in crop protection.

Furofuran Lignans for Plant Protection: Discovery of Sesamolin and Its Derivatives as Novel Anti-Tobacco Mosaic Virus and Antibacterial Agents

Natural products have been a valuable source of efficient and low-risk pesticides. In this work, a series of novel sesamolin derivatives A0-A31 and B0-B4 were designed and synthesized via structural simplification of furofuran lignan phrymarolin II, and their antiviral and antibacterial activities were systematically evaluated. The bioassay results showed that compound A24 displayed remarkable inactivation activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) with an EC₅₀ value of 130.4 μg/mL, which was superior to that of commercial ningnanmycin (EC₅₀ = 202.0 μg/mL). The antiviral mode of action assays suggested that compound A24 may obstruct self-assembly by binding to TMV coat protein (CP), thus resisting the TMV infection. In addition, compound A25 possessed prominent antibacterial activities, especially against Ralstonia solanacearum with an EC₅₀ value of 43.8 μg/mL, which is better than those of commercial bismerthiazol and thiodiazole copper. This research lays a solid foundation for the utilization of furofuran lignans in crop protection.

Design, Synthesis and Various Bioactivity of Acylhydrazone-Containing Matrine Analogues

Compounds with acylhydrazone fragments contain amide and imine groups that can act as electron donors and acceptors, so they are easier to bind to biological targets and thus generally exhibit significant biological activity. In this work, acylhydrazone fragments were introduced to the C-14 or C-11 position of matrine, a natural alkaloid, aiming to enhance their biological activities. The result of this bioassay showed that many synthesized compounds exhibited excellent anti-virus activity against the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Seventeen out of 25 14-acylhydrazone matrine derivatives and 17 out of 20 11-butanehydrazone matrine derivatives had a higher inhibitory activity against TMV than the commercial antiviral agent Ribavirin (the in vitro activity, in vivo inactivation, curative and protection activities at 500 µg/mL were 40.9, 36.5 ± 0.9, 38.0 ± 1.6 and 35.1 ± 2.2%, respectively), and four 11-butanehydrazone matrine derivatives even had similar to or higher activity than the most efficient antiviral agent Ningnanmycin (55.4, 57.8 ± 1.4, 55.3 ± 0.5 and 60.3 ± 1.2% at 500 µg/mL for the above four test modes). Among them, the N-benzyl-11-butanehydrazone of matrine formed with 4-bromoindole-3-carboxaldehyde exhibited the best anti-TMV activity (65.8, 71.8 ± 2.8, 66.8 ± 1.3 and 69.5 ± 3.1% at 500 µg/mL; 29, 33.5 ± 0.7, 24.1 ± 0.2 and 30.3 ± 0.6% at 100 µg/mL for the above four test modes), deserving further investigation as an antiviral agent. Other than these, the two series of acylhydrazone-containing matrine derivatives were evaluated for their insecticidal and fungicidal activities. Several compounds were found to have good insecticidal activities against diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) and mosquito larvae (Culex pipiens pallens), showing broad biological activities.

Discovery of Flavone Derivatives Containing Carboxamide Fragments as Novel Antiviral Agents

Plant virus diseases seriously affect the yield and quality of agricultural products, and their prevention and control are difficult. It is urgent to develop new and efficient antiviral agents. In this work, a series of flavone derivatives containing carboxamide fragments were designed, synthesized, and systematically evaluated for their antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) on the basis of a structural-diversity-derivation strategy. All the target compounds were characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and HRMS techniques. Most of these derivatives displayed excellent in vivo antiviral activities against TMV, especially 4m (inactivation inhibitory effect, 58%; curative inhibitory effect, 57%; and protection inhibitory effect, 59%), which displayed similar activity to ningnanmycin (inactivation inhibitory effect, 61%; curative inhibitory effect, 57%; and protection inhibitory effect, 58%) at 500 μg mL^-1; thus, it emerged as a new lead compound for antiviral research against TMV. Antiviral mechanism research by molecular docking demonstrated that compounds 4m, 5a, and 6b could interact with TMV CP and disturb virus assembly.

Discovery of Resveratrol and its Derivatives as Novel Antiviral and Anti- Phytopathogenic-Fungus Agents

BACKGROUND

Plant diseases caused by viruses and pathogens have posed a serious threat to global agricultural production and are difficult to control. Natural products have always been a valuable source for lead discovery in medicinal and agricultural chemistry. The natural product resveratrol was found to have good antiviral activity against the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and fungicidal activities against 14 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this work was to design, synthesize a series of derivatives of resveratrol, and evaluate their antiviral and fungicidal activities systematically.

METHODS

Novel resveratrol sulfonate derivatives were prepared by a convenient synthesis method from resveratrol, alkyl sulfonyl chloride, aryl sulfonyl chloride, and heterocyclic sulfonyl chloride. Their structures were also identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS).

RESULTS

Most of the targets were obtained at a high yield. Compounds I-2, I-5, I-10, II-2, and II-4, with excellent antiviral activities, showed higher anti-TMV activities than those of lead compounds and commercial ribavirin (inhibitory rates of 38, 37, and 38% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activities in vivo, respectively). In particular, compounds I-5, I-10, II-2, and II-4 displayed similar inhibitory effects as ningnanmycin (inhibitory rates of 54, 56, and 58% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activities in vivo, respectively), the best antiviral agent at present, thereby emerging as new antiviral pilot compounds. Further fungicidal activity tests showed that resveratrol derivatives also displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities.

CONCLUSION

The anti-TMV activities of these compounds were discovered for the first time. Some of these simply structured compounds showed higher TMV inhibitory effects than ribavirin. The current study provided valuable insights into the antiviral and fungicidal activities of resveratrol derivatives, but more modification of the structure should be conducted.

Structural Optimization of the Natural Product: Discovery of Almazoles C-D and Their Derivatives as Novel Antiviral and Anti-phytopathogenic Fungus Agents

Plant diseases seriously affect the growth of crops and the quality and yield of agricultural products. The search for plant-derived pesticide candidates based on natural products is a hot topic of current research. Marine natural products almazoles C-D were efficiently prepared and selected as the lead compounds in this work. Two series of almazole derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their antiviral and fungicidal activities were systematically evaluated. The results of anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV) activity showed that almazoles C-D and their derivatives had good anti-TMV activities. Compounds 6, 15, 16a, 16b, 16g, 16l, 16n, 20a, 20d, 20i, and 20n exhibited better anti-TMV activities than the commercial antiviral agent ribavirin. Anti-TMV mechanism studies showed that compound 16b could induce the polymerization of 20S CP (coat protein, CP), thereby affecting the assembly of TMV virus particles. Molecular docking results showed that compounds 15, 16b, and 20n could combine with amino acid residues through hydrogen bonds to achieve an excellent anti-TMV effect. In addition, most of the almazole derivatives were found to have broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against eight kinds of plant pathogens (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumeris, Cercospora arachidicola Hori, Physalospora piricola, Rhizoctonia cerealis, Alternaria solani, Pyricularia grisea, Phytophthora capsici, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum). This study provides an important evidence for the research and development of almazole alkaloids containing indole and oxazole structural groups as novel agrochemicals.

Synthesis and Evaluation of 11-Butyl Matrine Derivatives as Potential Anti-Virus Agents

Matrine derivatives were reported to have various biological activities, especially the ester, amide or sulfonamide derivatives of matrine deriving from the hydroxyl or carboxyl group at the end of the branch chain after the D ring of matrine is opened. In this work, to investigate whether moving away all functional groups from the C-11 branch chain could have an impact on the bioactivities, such as anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), insecticidal and fungicidal activities, a variety of N-substituted-11-butyl matrine derivatives were synthesized. The obtained bioassay result showed that most N-substituted-11-butyl matrine derivatives had obviously enhanced anti-TMV activity compared with matrine, especially many compounds had good inhibitory activity close to that of commercialized virucide Ningnanmycin (inhibition rate 55.4, 57.8 ± 1.4, 55.3 ± 0.5 and 60.3 ± 1.2% at 500 μg/mL; 26.1, 29.7 ± 0.2, 24.2 ± 1.0 and 27.0 ± 0.3% at 100 μg/mL, for the in vitro activity, in vivo inactivation, curative and protection activities, respectively). Notably, N-benzoyl (7), N-benzyl (16), and N-cyclohexylmethyl-11-butyl (19) matrine derivatives had higher anti-TMV activity than Ningnanmycin at both 500 and 100 μg/mL for the four test modes, showing high potential as anti-TMV agent. Furthermore, some compounds also showed good fungicidal activity or insecticidal activity.

Preparation and Anti-Tobacco Mosaic Virus Activities of Crocetin Diesters

The development of antiviral agents with an original structure and noticeable effect is always in great need. Natural products are important lead compounds in the development of new pesticides. Crocin-1 and crocin-2 were effectively isolated from Gardeniae fructus and found to have higher anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) activity levels than ribavirin. A series of the crocetin diester derivatives were synthesized with separated crocetin-1 as material and evaluated for their anti-TMV activities. They could be dissolved in common organic solvents as dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, and methanol. Compounds 5, 9, 13, 14, and 15 displayed higher activities in vivo than ribavirin. Compound 14 with significantly higher antiviral activities than lead compounds (crocin-1 and crocin-2) emerged as a new antiviral candidate.

Pityriacitrin marine alkaloids as novel antiviral and anti-phytopathogenic-fungus agents

BACKGROUND

Plant diseases have been gripping agricultural production, seriously affecting the growth and yields of crops. Marine natural products are an important source for novel drugs discovery. In this work, pityriacitrin marine alkaloids were selected as the parent structures. A series of pityriacitrin alkaloid analogues were rationally designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activities and fungicidal activities.

RESULT

Most of these compounds were demonstrated to have higher antiviral activities than ribavirin. Particularly, compounds 3a, 3e, 8f, 8g, and 9g displayed higher anti-TMV activities than ningnanmycin at 500 μg·mL^-1 . Mechanism research revealed that 3a could bind to TMV CP with an excellent affinity (K_a  = 8.67 × 10⁶  L·mol^-1 ), thus interfere with the assembly of virus particles. These alkaloids also showed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against eight kinds of phytopathogenic fungi. Compound 5f with 1.43-3.84 μg·mL^-1 EC₅₀ value against three fungi emerged as a new fungicidal candidate.

CONCLUSION

Pityriacitrin alkaloids and their derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for anti-TMV and fungicidal activities for the first time. Compounds 3a and 5f with excellent activities emerged as new candidates for antiviral research and fungicidal research, respectively. Current work provided a new idea for the molecular design and development of novel plant virus and fungi inhibitors in the future. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Structural Simplification of Marine Natural Products: Discovery of Hamacanthin Derivatives Containing Indole and Piperazinone as Novel Antiviral and Anti-phytopathogenic-fungus Agents

With the increasing severity of plant diseases and the emergence of pathogen resistance, there is an urgent need for the development of new efficient and environment-friendly pesticides. Marine natural product (MNP) resources are rich and diverse. Structural simplification based on MNPs is an important strategy to find novel pesticide candidates. In this work, the marine natural product 6″-debromohamacanthin A (1a) was efficiently prepared and selected as the parent structure. A series of hamacanthin derivatives were designed, synthesized, and studied on the antiviral and antifungal activities. Most of these compounds displayed higher antiviral activities than ribavirin. The antiviral activities of compounds 1a and 13e-13h are similar to or higher than that of ningnanmycin (perhaps the most efficient anti-plant-virus agent). Compound 13h was selected for further antiviral mechanism research via transmission electron microscopy, molecular docking, and fluorescence titration. The results showed that compound 13h could bind to TMV CP and interfere with the assembly process of TMV CP and RNA. In addition, these hamacanthin derivatives also exhibited broad-spectrum inhibitory effects against eight common agricultural pathogens. Compounds 1a, 12b, and 12f with excellent fungicidal activities can be considered as new fungicidal candidates for further research. These results provide a basis for the application of hamacanthin alkaloids in crop protection.

Synthesis and Anti-Tobacco Mosaic Virus/Fungicidal/Insecticidal/Antitumor Bioactivities of Natural Product Hemigossypol and Its Derivatives

To further study the structure-activity relationship of gossypol, hemigossypol (1) and its derivatives (2-23) were successfully designed via structure simplification and chemically synthesized. The anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), fungicidal, and insecticidal activities of them were tested systematically. Most of these derivatives exhibited excellent anti-TMV activity. Furthermore, these compounds also exhibited broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against 14 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi. In particular, hemigossypol acid lactone (7) was stable in the air. In terms of biological activity, it not only showed anti-TMV activity (inhibitory rates of 70.3, 65.4 and 72.4% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activity in vivo, respectively) comparable to ningnanmycin but also exhibited higher insecticidal activity against mosquito larvae (60%/0.25 mg/kg) than the commercial species rotenone. None of hemigossypol and the tested derivatives showed antitumor activities.

Discovery of Cysteine and Its Derivatives as Novel Antiviral and Antifungal Agents

Based on the structure of the natural product cysteine, a series of thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids were designed and synthesized. All target compounds bearing thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid were characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and HRMS techniques. The antiviral and antifungal activities of cysteine and its derivatives were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The results of anti-TMV activity revealed that all compounds exhibited moderate to excellent activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) at the concentration of 500 μg/mL. The compounds cysteine (1), 3-4, 7, 10, 13, 20, 23, and 24 displayed higher anti-TMV activities than the commercial plant virucide ribavirin (inhibitory rate: 40, 40, and 38% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activity in vivo, respectively), especially compound 3 (inhibitory rate: 51%, 47%, and 49% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activity in vivo, respectively) with excellent antiviral activity emerged as a new antiviral candidate. Antiviral mechanism research by TEM exhibited that compound 3 could inhibit virus assembly by aggregated the 20S protein disk. Molecular docking results revealed that compound 3 with higher antiviral activities than that of compound 24 did show stronger interaction with TMV CP. Further fungicidal activity tests against 14 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi revealed that these cysteine derivatives displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities. Compound 16 exhibited higher antifungal activities against Cercospora arachidicola Hori and Alternaria solani than commercial fungicides carbendazim and chlorothalonil, which emerged as a new candidate for fungicidal research.

Anti-TMV activity and mode of action of three alkaloids isolated from Chelidonium majus

BACKGROUND

Plant viral diseases are difficult to control and have caused serious damage to the agricultural industry. Recently, botanical biopesticides characterized by environment friendly, safe to non-target organism and not as susceptible to produce drug resistance, have exhibited great potential to be developed as antiviral agents. To screen the natural products with antiviral effect, three alkaloids possessed anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) activity were isolated from Chelidonium majus and the modes of action were investigated.

RESULT

The anti-TMV effect of crude extracts at 10 mg mL^-1 was 51.73%. Bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation of the compounds with anti-TMV activity were performed on the methanol extract of C. majus yielding three bioactive alkaloids namely: chelerythrine (1), chelidonine (2), and sanguinarine (3). The results of bioassay showed that chelerythrine exhibited great inactivation, proliferation inhibition and protection effects against TMV at 0.5 mg mL^-1 with the efficiency of 72.67%, 77.52% and 59.34%, respectively. Chelidonine at 0.1 mg mL^-1 can provide 54.90% and 64.45% inhibitions on TMV through inducing resistance in two kinds of tobacco. Sanguinarine showed a weaker protection for resisting TMV in comparison to chelerythrine and chelidonine.

CONCLUSION

Chelerythrine and chelidonine displayed significant inhibitions on TMV with different modes of action. These results provided important evidence that the extracts in C. majus might be a potential source of new drugs in controlling virus disease agriculturally.

High Value-Added Use of Citrus Industrial Wastes in Agriculture: Semisynthesis and Anti-Tobacco Mosaic Virus/Insecticidal Activities of Ester Derivatives of Limonin Modified in the B Ring

Globally, the citrus industry produces various wastes, which contain a great deal of limonoids. In order for the sustainable development of the citrus industry, and considering the diverse bioactivities of limonoids, a series of ester derivatives were constructed by structural modification of limonin in the B ring. Furthermore, two seven-membered lactone derivatives of limonin and obacunone with a novel skeleton in the B ring were obtained by the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation rearrangement. The steric structures of six key compounds 3a, 3b, 4m, 4n, 6, and 7 were determined by X-ray crystallography. It demonstrated that the molar ratio of 3a (7α-isomer) and 3b (7β-isomer) depended on the mixed solvents in the reduction system. The anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) activities under three different modes of action for most of the tested compounds were as the following sequence: inactivation effect > protection effect > curative effect. It was noteworthy that compound 4aa displayed the most potent anti-TMV/insect growth inhibitory activities, which indicated that the introduction of the phenylacryloyloxy group at the C-7β position of limonin could significantly improve its agricultural biological activities. This study will pave the way for future value-added application of citrus industrial wastes and provide strong evidence for the discovery of sustainable biopesticides based on limonoids.

Marine-natural-products for biocides development: first discovery of meridianin alkaloids as antiviral and anti-phytopathogenic-fungus agents

BACKGROUND

Food is an important strategic material related to national economy and people's livelihood. Plant diseases seriously affect crop yield and quality. Marine natural products are an important source for novel drugs discovery. In this work, meridianin alkaloids were selected as the parent structure. A series of meridianin alkaloid analogues were rationally designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activities and fungicidal activities.

RESULT

These compounds were found to have good antiviral and fungicidal activities for the first time. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) research revealed that introducing bromine atom at the 5-position of indole ring is beneficial to antiviral activity, but introducing methoxy group is not conducive. Introducing bromine atom at the 6-position of indole ring or nitrogen atom at the 7-position of the indole ring resulted in lower antiviral activity. Most of the meridianin derivatives showed higher anti-TMV activities at 500 μg mL^-1 than Ribavirin, especially for compounds 6c, 8a and 10a. All of the compounds also displayed broad spectrum fungicidal activities against 14 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi at 50 μg mL^-1 .

CONCLUSION

Compound 6c with relatively simple structure and excellent antiviral activity, which is similar to that of Ningnanmycin, emerged as novel anti-TMV lead compound. Compound 5d with broad spectrum and high effect fungicidal activity emerged as a new fungicidal lead compound. Current research lays a solid foundation for the application of meridianin alkaloids in crop protection. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Discovery, Structural Optimization, and Mode of Action of Essramycin Alkaloid and Its Derivatives as Anti-Tobacco Mosaic Virus and Anti-Phytopathogenic Fungus Agents

Plant diseases seriously affect crop yield and quality and are difficult to control. Marine natural products (MNPs) have become an important source of drug candidates with new biological mechanisms. Marine natural product essramycin (1) was found to have good anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and anti-phytopathogenic fungus activities for the first time. A series of essramycin derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their bioactivity. Most of these compounds exhibited antiviral effects that are greater than that of the control ribavirin. Compounds 7e and 8f displayed antiviral activities that are greater than that of ningnanmycin (the most widely used antiviral agent at present), thus emerging as novel antiviral lead compounds. As the lead compound, 7e was selected for further antiviral mechanism research. The results indicated that 7e could inhibit virus assembly and promote 20S disk protein aggregation. Fungicidal activity tests against 14 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi revealed that essramycin analogues displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities. Compound 5b displayed more than 50% inhibition rate against most of the 14 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi at 50 μg/mL. The current research lays a solid foundation for the application of essramycin alkaloids in crop protection.

Natural Product Cerbinal and Its Analogues Cyclopenta[c]pyridines: Synthesis and Discovery as Novel Pest Control Agents

Owing to the changing needs of agriculture, the exploration of new pest control agents remains as critical as ever. The analogues 3a-3v of the natural product cerbinal were synthesized from genipin by an efficient and practical method under additive-free conditions. The antiviral and insecticidal effects of cerbinal and these cyclopenta[c]pyridines (3a-3v) were evaluated systematically. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited higher anti-TMV activities than the lead compound cerbinal. Compound 3s (2-(4-methoxyphenyl)) had the most promising inhibitory activities against TMV (inactivation effect 49.0 ± 0.8%, curative effect 41.2 ± 4.3%, and protection effect 51.5 ± 2.7% at 500 μg/mL). Among the synthesized compounds, only 3v (2-(2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)) reached the activity level of cerbinal against Plutella xylostella. This suggested that the cyclopenta[c]pyridines obtained by modifications of cerbinal at position 2 are very significant for the anti-TMV activity, and yet were exceptionally less active for the insecticidal activities.

Optimization, Structure-Activity Relationship, and Mode of Action of Nortopsentin Analogues Containing Thiazole and Oxazole Moieties

Plant diseases seriously endanger plant health, and it is very difficult to control them. A series of nortopsentin analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their antiviral activities and fungicidal activities. Most of these compounds displayed higher antiviral activities than ribavirin. Compounds 1d, 1e, and 12a, with excellent antiviral activities, emerged as novel antiviral lead compounds, among which 1e was selected for further antiviral mechanism research. The mechanism research results indicated that these compounds may play an antiviral role by aggregating viral particles to prevent their movement in plants. Further fungicidal activity tests revealed that nortopsentin analogues displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities. Compounds 2p and 2f displayed higher antifungal activities against Alternaria solani than the commercial fungicides carbendazim and chlorothalonil. Current research has laid a foundation for the application of nortopsentin analogues in plant protection.

Purification and Structural Analysis of the Effective Anti-TMV Compound ε-Poly-l-lysine Produced by Streptomyces ahygroscopicus

Microbial secondary metabolites produced by actinomycetes are important natural products widely applied to control plant diseases. A variety of actinomycetes were isolated from soil samples collected from Tianzhu Mountain in Shenyang, China. A Streptomyces strain Shenyang Tianzhu (STZ) exhibits effective antiviral activity against Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). The isolate was identified as Streptomyces ahygroscopicus based on its cultural, morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics as well as the phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA sequences. To obtain the pure anti-TMV compound from Streptomyces STZ, the culture broth was subjected to Amberlite IRC-50 ion-exchange resin, SX-8 macroporous adsorption resin and Sephadex G-25 gel column chromatography. The purified active compound was confirmed to be ε-poly-l-lysine (ε-PL), with molecular mass in the range of 3454⁻4352 Da by structural analysis with infrared (IR), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight MS (MALDI-TOF), thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HR-MAS NMR). The protective and curative effects of the purified compound ε-PL were tested and the results showed that the compound exhibited significant protective and curative activity against TMV. The potential application of ε-PL as an efficient anti-plant virus agent was expected.

Natural Products for Drug Discovery: Discovery of Gramines as Novel Agents against a Plant Virus

Plant viral diseases seriously affect crop yield and quality. The natural product gramine (1) and its simple structural analogues 2-35 were synthesized from indoles, amines, and aldehydes in one step. The antiviral effects of these alkaloids were evaluated systematically. Most of these compounds were found to have higher antiviral effects than commercial ribavirin for the first time. Especially compounds 22, 30, and 31 exhibited significantly higher effects than ningnanmycin, thereby emerging as novel antiviral leads for further optimization. The preliminary implementation indicated that these compounds likely inhibit the assembly of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) by cross-linking TMV capsid protein. Gramine analogues were also found to have broad-spectrum fungicidal effects. Although gramine has been reported to have influence on germination and development of Erysiphe graminis, these compounds displayed no fungicidal effects against Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici on wheat in our test. Some of these compounds also exhibited certain insecticidal activities.

Discovery of Pimprinine Alkaloids as Novel Agents against a Plant Virus

Plant viral diseases cause tremendous decreases in crop yield and quality. Natural products have always been a valuable source for lead discovery in medicinal and agricultural chemistry. A series of pimprinine alkaloids and their derivatives were prepared and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS). The antiviral activities of these alkaloids against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were systematically investigated for the first time. Most of the compounds exhibited higher antiviral activities than ribavirin. Compounds 5l, 9h, and 10h, which had similar or higher antiviral activities than ningnanmycin (perhaps the most widely used antiviral agent at present), emerged as new antiviral pilot compounds. This systematic structure-activity-relationship research lays the foundation for simplifying the structure of these alkaloids. The ring-open products, acylhydrazones 9a-9u, were also found to possess good antiviral activities. Moreover, all the synthesized compounds displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities. This study provides important information for the research and development of pimprinine alkaloids as novel antiviral agents.

Leveraging botanical resources for crop protection: the isolation, bioactivity and structure-activity relationships of lycoris alkaloids

BACKGROUND

Lycoris aurea (L' Herit.) Herb (Amaryllidaceae) is a native pesticide in China. The ethanolic extract of Lycoris aureate bulbs, the total alkaloids of L. aurea bulbs and the main alkaloids of L. aurea bulbs were systematically investigated as part of a novel project to study their antiviral, fungicidal (phytopathogenic) and insecticidal activities. We also prepared 18 lycorine derivatives and evaluated their bioactivities.

RESULTS

Lycorine had excellent larvicidal activity against Plutella xylostella (LC₅₀ = 10.6 mg L^-1 ) and was also effective during a field trial. It also showed good inhibitory activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and good fungicidal activity against Phytophthora capsici (EC₅₀ = 7.76 mg L^-1 ). Compounds 13 and 15 exhibited good anti-TMV activity, excellent fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia cerealis (EC₅₀ = 6.78 mg L^-1 ) and excellent larvicidal activity against Culex pipiens pallens (LC₅₀ at 0.1-0.25 mg L^-1 ).

CONCLUSION

Lycorine was identified as the main active component of L. aurea bulbs and showed potential for field application against P. xylostella. The activities of compounds 13 and 15 make them excellent candidates for new lead compounds in novel pesticide research. This study provides the basis for developing these alkaloids into potential agrochemicals. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Marine Natural Products for Drug Discovery: First Discovery of Kealiinines A-C and Their Derivatives as Novel Antiviral and Antiphytopathogenic Fungus Agents

Leucetta alkaloid kealiinines A-C and kealiinine B derivatives were designed, synthesized, and characterized on the basis of NMR and HR-MS. The anti-TMV and antiphytopathogenic fungus activities of these alkaloids were evaluated for the first time. Kealiinine B exhibited a higher anti-TMV activity than kealiinines A and C. Kealiinine B derivatives 2m (inhibitory rates: 68, 66, and 71% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activity in vivo, respectively) and 2y (inhibitory rates: 69, 64, and 63% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activity in vivo, respectively) showed significantly higher antiviral activity than ningnanmycin (inhibitory rates: 56, 56, and 58% at 500 μg/mL for inactivation, curative, and protection activity in vivo, respectively), thus emerging as new lead compounds for novel antiviral agent development. Structure-activity relationship research provided the basis for structural simplification of these alkaloids. Further fungicidal activity tests revealed that these alkaloids displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities. Compounds 2i and 2p displayed good fungicidal activities in vitro against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Rhizoctonia cerealis with inhibition rates of 71%/50 mg/kg and 70%/50 mg/kg, respectively.

Various Bioactivity and Relationship of Structure-Activity of Matrine Analogues

For the first time, the botanic source natural product matrine was reported to have more potent inhibitory activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) than the commercial virucide ribavirin. On the basis of the structural diversity modification strategy, a series of matrine derivatives was synthesized and systematically evaluated for their antiviral activity against TMV, fungicidal activity, and insecticidal activity. As a result, compounds 3 (inhibitory rate 67.3%, 69.5%, 63.7%, 63.0% at 500 μg/mL for in vitro activity, inactivation, curative, and protection activities in vivo, respectively), 16 (66.7%, 60.7%, 63.8%, 68.9% at 500 μg/mL), and 32 (74.6%, 76.9%, 72.3%, 75.7% at 500 μg/mL) were found to have much higher anti-TMV activity than ribavirin (40.8%, 37.5%, 38.2%, 37.7% at 500 μg/mL), even exhibiting as well as NK-007 (70.3%, 66.1%, 68.4%, 67.5% at 500 μg/mL), which was an efficient compound created by our group previously. At the same time, it was found that matrine and its derivatives had a broad spectrum fungicidal activity (14 fungi), especially the inhibition of compound 32 against Phytophthora capsici Leonian reached 96.4% at a concentration of 50 μg/mL. What's more, all compounds exhibited very good insecticidal activity to five kinds of insects (including Mythimna Separate, Helicoverpa Armigera, Ostrinia Nubilalis, Plutella xylostella, and Culex Pipiens Pallens); especially, the inhibition rate of C. Pipiens Pallens of compound 22 could still reach 70% at 1 μg/mL.

Discovery of Topsentin Alkaloids and Their Derivatives as Novel Antiviral and Anti-phytopathogenic Fungus Agents

Topsentin alkaloids and their derivatives were designed, synthesized, and characterized on the basis of NMR and mass spectroscopy. The antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and anti-phytopathogenic fungus activities of these alkaloids were evaluated for the first time. Alkaloids 1c, 1e, 2b, and 2d displayed significantly higher antiviral activities against TMV than Ribavirin, emerging as new lead compounds for anti-TMV research. Further fungicidal activity tests against 14 kinds of phytopathogenic fungi revealed that these alkaloids displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities. Topsentin derivative 2d with 4-5 mg/kg EC₅₀ values against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.), Rhizoctonia solani (Kuhn), and Botrytis cinerea (Pers.) emerged as a new lead compound for fungicidal research. Current studies provide support for the application of topsentin alkaloids as novel agrochemicals.

Application of "Hydrogen-Bonding Interaction" in Drug Design. Part 2: Design, Synthesis, and Structure-Activity Relationships of Thiophosphoramide Derivatives as Novel Antiviral and Antifungal Agents

On the basis of the structure of natural product harmine, lead compound 18, and the structure of compounds in part 1, a series of thiophosphoramide derivatives 1-17 were designed and synthesized from various amines in one step. Their antiviral and antifungal activities were evaluated. Most of the compounds showed significantly higher antiviral activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) than commercial virucide ribavirin. Compound (R,R)-17 showed the best anti-TMV activity in vitro (70%/500 μg/mL and 33%/100 μg/mL) and in vivo (inactivation effect, 68%/500 μg/mL and 30%/100 μg/mL; curative effect, 64%/500 μg/mL and 31%/100 μg/mL; protection effect, 66%/500 μg/mL and 31%/100 μg/mL), which is higher than that of ningnanmycin and lead compound 18. The antiviral activity of (R,R)-17·HCl is about similar to that of (R,R)-17. However, the antifungal activity of (R,R)-17·HCl against Puccinia sorghi is slightly lower than that of (R,R)-17. The systematic study provides compelling evidence that these simple thiophosphoramide compounds could become efficient antiviral and antifungal agents.

Application of "hydrogen bonding interaction" in new drug development: design, synthesis, antiviral activity, and SARs of thiourea derivatives

A series of simple thiourea derivatives were designed based on the structure of natural product harmine and lead compound and synthesized from amines in one step. The antiviral activity of these thiourea derivatives was evaluated. Most of them exhibited significantly higher anti-TMV activity than commercial plant virucides ribavirin, harmine, and lead compound. The hydrogen bond was found to be important but not the more the better. The optimal compound (R,R)-20 showed the best anti-TMV activity in vitro and in vivo (in vitro activity, 75%/500 μg/mL and 39%/100 μg/mL; inactivation activity, 71%/500 μg/mL and 35%/100 μg/mL; curative activity, 73%/500 μg/mL and 37%/100 μg/mL; protection activity, 69%/500 μg/mL and 33%/100 μg/mL), which is significantly higher than that of Ningnanmycin. The systematic study provides strong evidence that these simple thiourea derivatives could become potential TMV inhibitors.

Design, synthesis, and biological activities of aromatic gossypol Schiff base derivatives

A series of aromatic gossypol Schiff bases have been successfully synthesized via a feasible chemical modification. The antiviral activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) of these gossypol Schiff bases has been tested for the first time. The bioassay studies indicated most of these derivatives exhibited excellent anti-TMV activity, in which o-trifluoromethylaniline Schiff base (19) displayed the best antiviral activities. Furthermore, compound 19 exhibited an eminent anti-TMV effect in the field and low toxicity to mice. These results suggest it is a promising candidate for the inhibitor of plant virus.