Identification of novel nematode succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors: Virtual screening based on ligand-pocket interactions.

To discover new nematicidal succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) inhibitors with novel structures, we conducted a virtual screening of the ChemBridge library with 1.7 million compounds based on ligand-pocket interactions. The homology model of Caenorhabditis elegans SDH was established, along with a pharmacophore model based on ligand-pocket interactions. After the pharmacophore-based and docking-based screening, 19 compounds were selected for the subsequent enzymatic assays. The results showed that compound 1 (ID: 7607321) exhibited inhibitory activity against SDH with a determined IC50 value of 19.6 µM. Structural modifications and nematicidal activity studies were then carried out, which provided further evidence that compound 1 exhibited excellent nematicidal activity. Molecular dynamics simulations were then conducted to investigate the underlying molecular basis for the potency of these inhibitors against SDH. This work provides a reliable strategy and useful information for the future design of nematode SDH inhibitors.

Design, synthesis, biologically evaluation and molecular docking of C-glycosidic oximino carbamates as novel OfHex1 inhibitors.

The inhibition of function-specific ß-N-acetyl-D-hexosaminidases, such as OfHex1 from the Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis), is a promising strategy for the development of green pesticides. Among reported OfHex1 inhibitors, glycosyl inhibitors show especially high inhibitory activity. In this study, a series of novel C-glycosidic oximino carbamate derivatives were designed using the OfHex1 crystal structure and synthesized. Among the C-Glycoside derivatives studied, compound 7k exhibited the best inhibitory activity against OfHex1 (IC50 = 47.47 µM). Compound 7k also exhibited excellent larvicidal activity against Plutella xylostella. The potential inhibitory mechanism of 7k was studied using molecular docking. Notably, compound 7k is the first reported C-glycoside inhibitor of OfHex1. These results provide direction for the rational design of novel OfHex1 inhibitors.

Synthesis of α-Deuterated Primary Amines via Reductive Deuteration of Oximes Using D2O as a Deuterium Source.

Selective introduction of the deuterium atom into the α-position of amines is important for the development of all types of novel deuterated drugs and agrochemicals due to the pervasive presence of amines. In this study, we report the first general single-electron-transfer reductive deuteration of both ketoximes and aldoximes using SmI2 as an electron donor and D2O as a deuterium source for the synthesis of α-deuterated primary amines with excellent levels of deuterium incorporations (>95% [D]). This protocol exhibits excellent chemoselectivity and tolerates a variety of functional groups. The potential application of this new method was showcased in the synthesis of deuterated drugs, such as rimantadine-d4, the tebufenpyrad analogue, derivatives of nabumetone and pregnenolone, and a series of building blocks for the rapid and general assembly of deuterated drugs and pesticides.

Design, synthesis biological activity, and docking of novel fluopyram derivatives containing guanidine group.

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), a crucial bridge enzyme between the respiratory electron transfer chain and tricarboxylic acid (or Krebs) cycle, has been identified as an ideal target for the development of effective fungicide. In this study, a series of 24 novel SDH inhibitors (SDHIs) were designed, synthesized, and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. In vitro fungicidal activity experiments, most of the compounds exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activities against five plant pathogenic fungi. Compounds 9j and 9k showed excellent activities against Pythium aphanidermatum with EC50 values of 9.93 mg/L and 10.50 mg/L, respectively, which were superior to the lead compound Fluopyram with an EC50 value of 19.10 mg/L. Furthermore, the toxicity of these compounds was also tested against Meloidogyne incognita J2 nematodes. The results indicated that compound 9x exhibited moderate nematicidal activity (LC50/48 h = 71.02 mg/L). Molecular docking showed that novel guanidine amide of 9j formed hydrogen bonds with crucial residues, which was crucial to the binding of an inhibitor and SDH. This present work indicates that these derivatives may serve as novel potential fungicides targeting SDH.

Novel Glycosylated Naphthalimide-Based Activatable Fluorescent Probe: A Tool for the Assessment of Hexosaminidase Activity and Intracellular Hexosaminidase Imaging.

The development of effective detection methods for hexosaminidase is of great importance for the rapid screening of potential inhibitors in vitro and for the early diagnosis of related diseases ex vivo. In this study, the activatable fluorescent probes that are based on naphthalimide decorated with ethylene glycol units were synthesized using N-acetyl-ß-d-glucosaminide as a hexosaminidase-responsive group. When exposed to this enzyme, the glucoside-linked naphthalimide moiety of 1c can be cleaved quickly with significant changes in both color (from colorless to yellow) and fluorescence (from blue to green). Probe 1c shows better water-solubility and fluorescence properties than common substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl N-acetyl-ß-d-glucosaminide. Furthermore, the response mechanism of 1c to hexosaminidase was evaluated using HPLC analysis and TD-DFT calculations. Molecular docking was performed to investigate the interaction mode. In addition, 1c has successfully achieved the straightforward rapid discovery of effective hexosaminidase inhibitors. Fluorescence imaging experiments indicate that 1c has good cell safety and can be employed as a useful tool for detecting intracellular hexosaminidase activity.

Glycosyl triazoles as novel insect ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase OfHex1 inhibitors: Design, synthesis, molecular docking and MD simulations.

The insect enzyme GH20 ß-N-acetyl-d-hexosaminidase OfHex1 represents an important chitinolytic enzyme found in the agricultural pest Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) and inhibition of this enzyme has been considered a promising strategy for the development of eco-friendly pesticides. In this article, based on the structure of the catalytic domains of OfHex1, a series of novel glycosyl triazoles were designed and synthesized via Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2] cycloaddition reaction. To investigate the potency and selectivity of these glycosyl triazoles, the inhibition activities towards OfHex1 and HsHexB (human ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase B) were studied. Particularly compound 17c (OfHex1, Ki = 28.68 µM; HsHexB, Ki > 100 µM) exhibited a suitable activity and selectivity against OfHex1. Furthermore, the possible inhibitory mechanisms of 17c with OfHex1 were studied using molecular docking and MD simulations. The structure-activity relationship results as well as the formed binding patterns may provide promising insights into the further development of novel OfHex1 inhibitors.

Synthesis of the repeating unit of O-specific polysaccharide isolated from the water-borne bacteria Aeromonas bestiarum 207.

Aeromonas bestiarum 207 is a bacterial pathogen with severe impact on aquaculture. In a recent study, the structure of OPS antigens from Aeromonas bestiarum was identified as pentasaccharide repeating units. Synthesis of the pentasaccharide repeating unit and its derivative are reported. Stereo- and regio-specific synthesis was achieved under Schmidt glycosylation conditions employing appropriately protected L-rhamopyranosyl and D-glucopyranosylamine building blocks. The pentasaccharide synthesis was achieved using a [3 + 2] strategy with an overall yield of 5.2% through 11 linear steps from the monosaccharide building blocks 10 and 14.

Synthesis and insecticidal activities of 5-deoxyavermectin B2a oxime ester derivatives.

Three series of avermectin B2a oxime ester derivatives were synthesized using avermectin B2a as starting material. All of the compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. Bioassay results indicated that some of the derivatives (8b, 8c, 8d, 8f, 11k, 11l, 14c, 14j) showed potent insecticidal activities against Myzus persicae, Caenorhabditis elegans, or Tetranychus cinnabarinus. As shown by initial insecticidal activity data, compound 8d showed excellent activities (>90%) against M. persicae and C. elegans, which were more potent than that of avermectin B2a. Compound 8d might be a lead compound for designing new avermectin B2a derivatives.

Synthesis, fungicidal evaluation and 3D-QSAR studies of novel 1,3,4-thiadiazole xylofuranose derivatives.

1,3,4-Thiadiazole and sugar-derived molecules have proven to be promising agrochemicals with growth promoting, insecticidal and fungicidal activities. In the research field of agricultural fungicide, applying union of active group we synthesized a new set of 1,3,4-thiadiazole xylofuranose derivatives and all of the compounds were characterized by 1H NMR and HRMS. In precise toxicity measurement, some of compounds exhibited more potent fungicidal activities than the most widely used commercial fungicide Chlorothalonil, promoting further research and development. Based on our experimental data, 3D-QSAR (three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship) was established and investigated using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) techniques, helping to better understand the structural requirements of lead compounds with high fungicidal activity and environmental compatibility.

Ovicidal and Insecticidal Activities of Pyriproxyfen Derivatives with an Oxime Ester Group.

Based on the structural framework of a pyriproxyfen metabolite, nineteen oxime ester derivatives were synthesized via reaction of the carboxylic acids with 4-(2-(2-pyridinyloxy)ethoxy)benzaldehyde oxime. The corresponding structures were comprehensively characterized by ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C-NMR, and electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS). All of the compounds were screened for their insecticidal activities against Plutella xylostella and Myzus persicae, and for their ovicidal activities against Helicoverpa armigera eggs. The results obtained show that most of the oxime ester derivatives displayed moderate to high insecticidal activities and ovicidal activities at a concentration of 600 ug/mL. In particular, the ovicidal activity of compounds 5j, 5o, 5p, 5q, and 5s was determined to be 100%. Importantly, some of the compounds presented even higher biological activities than the reference compound pyriproxyfen. For example, compound 5j displayed an insecticidal activity value of 87.5% against Myzus persicae, whereas the activity value of pyriproxyfen was 68.3% at a concentration of 600 ug/mL. Among the synthesized compounds 5j and 5s exhibited broad biological activity spectra.

Synthesis of NAM-thiazoline derivatives as novel O-GlcNAcase inhibitors.

Human O-GlcNAcase (GH 84) and human ß-N-acetyl-D-hexosaminidase (GH 20) from Homo sapiens are two therapeutic enzyme targets that share the same catalytic mechanism but play different physiological roles in vivo. Selective inhibition toward one of these enzymes is therefore of importance to regulate the corresponding bioprocess. Here ten new NAM-thiazoline derivatives were synthesized and subsequently characterized by NMR and HRMS. A preliminary bioassay showed that most of the synthesized compounds exhibited obvious selective inhibition against human O-GlcNAcase over human ß-N-acetyl-D-hexosaminidase. Among the compounds tested, compound 7d (IC50 = 6.4 µM, hOGA; IC50>1 mM, hHex) and 7f (IC50 = 11.9 µM, hOGA; IC50>1 mM, hHex) proved to be a highly selective and potent inhibitor. Structure-activity relationship analysis indicated a correlation between the inhibitory activity and the size of the groups linked to the thiazoline ring.

Direct 2,3-O-isopropylidenation of α-D-mannopyranosides and the preparation of 3,6-branched mannose trisaccharides.

A highly efficient, regioselective method for the direct 2,3-O-isopropylidenation of α-D-mannopyranosides is reported. Treatment of various α-D-mannopyranosides with 0.12 equiv of the TsOH·H2O and 2-methoxypropene at 70 °C gave 2,3-O-isopropylidene-α-D-mannopyranosides directly in 80%~90% yields. Based on this method, a 3,6-branched α-D-mannosyl trisaccharide was prepared in 50.4% total yield using p-nitrophenyl 2,3-O-isopropylidene-α-D-mannopyranoside as the starting material.

A novel halogen bond and a better-known hydrogen bond cooperation of neonicotinoid and insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor recognition.

Neonicotinoid insecticides target the insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and are highly effective against the piercing-sucking pests. To explore the molecular interaction mechanism between the neonicotinoids and the insect nAChR, some key neonicotinoid compounds were docked into Aplysia californica acetylcholine binding protein (Ac-AChBP), which serves as a suitable structural surrogate of the insect nAChR. The binding mode study showed that the hydrogen bond force between the electronegative pharmacophore of the neonicotinoids and Cys190NH of the target binding pocket is crucial to the high efficiency of the neonicotinoids. Increasing the coplanarity between the guanidine or amidine and the electronegative pharmacophore of the neonicotinoids could increase the Π-Π stacking effect with Tyr188 of the Ac-AChBP and thus enhance the insecticidal potency. The introduction of an azide group to the chloropyridine ring of the neonicotinoids would reduce its binding ability due to the disappearance of a novel halogen bonding interaction. A series of novel neonicotinoid molecules were designed based on the halogen bonding interaction and two compounds with 6-bromopyridine-3-yl and 6-(trifluoromethyl)-3-pyridinyl were found to be with potential insecticidal activities.

[Inhibitory effect of recombinant HMGN2 protein on human hepatitis B viral].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a prokaryotic expression recombinant for the expression of HMGN2 and to evaluate its antiviral activity against human hepatitis virus. METHODS: The extracellular region cDNA of HMGN2 was isolated and amplified by RT-PCR, and introduced to the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T-1. HMGN2 protein was expressed under IPTG induction and purified by GST protein purification system, then identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The cytotoxicity of fusion HMGN2 to HBV-transfected HepG2. 2.15 cell was evaluated with MTT assay. Different concentration of fusion HMGN2 was applied on the HepG2. 2.15 cell and the cell culture supernatants were harvested after 3 and 6 days treatment. The HBsAg and HBeAg in the supernatants were detected by ELISA and the HBV DNA was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: In the range of tested 1-100 microg/mL of HMGN2, no cytotoxicity to HepG2. 2.15 cells was detected by MTT assay. When incubated with HMGN2 at 15 microg/mL for 72 h or 144 h, there was a significant reduction in HBeAg and HBsAg expression as well as the HBV DNA copies. CONCLUSION: pGEX-4T-1/HMGN2 vector was success constructed, and the recombinant HMGN2 protein could inhibit HBV expression and replication in vitro remarkably.

Synthesis, fungicidal activity, and structure-activity relationship of spiro-compounds containing macrolactam (macrolactone) and thiadiazoline rings.

Two series of novel spiro-compounds containing macrolactam or macrolactone and thiadiazoline rings, 1-thia-2-alkylimino-3,4,9-triaza-10-oxospiro[4.15]eicosyl-3-ene (4F) and 1-thia-2-alkylimino-3,4-diaza-9-oxa-10-oxospiro[4.15]eicosyl-3-ene (4G), were synthesized from 12-oxo-1,15-pentadecanlactam and 12-oxo-1,15-pentadecanlactone, respectively. Their structures were confirmed by elemental analysis, (1)H NMR, and (13)C NMR. The conformation of compounds 4F was determined via the crystal structure of a representative compound (4F(6)). The bioassay showed that compounds 4F have much better fungicidal activity against five fungi ( Botrytis cinerea Pers., Sclerotinia sclerotiorum , Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn., Phomopsis asparagi Sacc., and Pyricularia oryzae Cav.) than compounds 4G. The fact above showed that the presence of a hydrogen-bonding donor for the fungicidal activity of macrocyclic compounds is very important. 4F(6) showed excellent fungicidal activity against P. oryzae, which is much better than the commercial fungicide isoprothiolane, and 4F(13) showed excellent fungicidal activity against P. oryzae and good fungicidal activity against P. asparagi.

Primary study on mode of action for macrocyclic fungicide candidates (7B3, D1) against Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn.

A novel macrolactam fungicide candidate (7B3) and a novel aza-macrolactone fungicide candidate (D1) were designed and synthesized, and the bioassay showed that both displayed excellent fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn. To elucidate the biochemical mode of action of the two compounds against R. solani and illustrate the similarities and differences of action mechanism resulting from subtle differences in structure of the two compounds, the effects of the two compounds on the ultrastructure of hyphae, electrolyte leakage, and respiration of mycelia cell suspension caused by 7B3 or D1 were studied. The results showed that the two compounds had very similar modes of action. Both induced irregular swelling of hyphae, vacuolation of cytoplasm, and thickening of cell wall. The conductivity of mycelia cell suspension increased in the presence of 7B3 or D1, which indicated that the two compounds had a similar effect on cell membrane permeability. In addition, both 7B3 and D1 were insufficient in inhibiting the respiration of mycelia.

Determination of 7B3 residues in cotton plants by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

A method was developed for the determination of 7B3 (12-propyloxyimino-1,15-pentadecanlactam), a novel macrolactam fungicide, by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) with positive electrospray ionization (ESI+). The method used a reversed-phase C18 column and acetonitrile-water (60 + 40, v/v) mobile phase. The quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method was used for extraction of 7B3 from cotton plants, which involved the extraction of 10 g homogenized sample with 10 mL acetonitrile, followed by the addition of 4 g anhydrous MgSO4 and 1.0 g NaCl. After centrifugation, 1 mL of the buffered acetonitrile extract was transferred into a tube containing 50 mg primary secondary amine sorbent and 100 mg anhydrous MgSO4. After shaking and centrifugation, the final extract was transferred to an autosampler vial for concurrent analysis by LC/MS. The results of 7B3 determined by LC/MS in the selective ion monitoring mode were linear, and the matrix effect of the method was evaluated. The average recoveries of 7B3 fortified at different levels were within 84.1-100.2%, and the relative standard deviations were <7.5% for all samples analyzed. The method limit of detection and the limit of quantitation values were 0.03 and 0.1 mg/kg, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine 7B3 residues in practical samples. This method is sensitive, accurate, reliable, simple, and safe.

2-(Methyl-sulfan-yl)cyclo-dodeca-none tosyl-hydrazone.

The title compound, C(20)H(32)N(2)O(2)S(2), has been synthesized by the reaction of α-methyl-sulfanylcyclo-dodeca-none and p-toluene-sulfonyl-hydrazine. In the crystal structure, the conformation of the non-benzenoid ring is [3333] and the methyl-sulfanyl group is in the α-side exo position. The mol-ecules are linked by inter-molecular N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds.