Novel Pyrazole Acyl(thio)urea Derivatives Containing a Biphenyl Scaffold as Potential Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Fungicidal Activity, and SAR.

As part of a program to discover novel succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides, a series of new pyrazole acyl(thio)urea compounds containing a diphenyl motif were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, HRMS, and single X-ray crystal diffraction analysis. Most of these compounds possessed excellent activity against 10 fungal plant pathogens at 50 µg mL-1, especially against Rhizoctonia solani, Alternaria solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Botrytis cinerea, and Cercospora arachidicola. Interestingly, compounds 3-(difluoromethyl)-1-methyl-N-((3',4',5'-trifluoro-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-yl)carbamoyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (9b, EC50 = 0.97 ± 0.18 µg mL-1), 1,3-dimethyl-N-((3',4',5'-trifluoro-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-yl)carbamoyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (9a, EC50 = 2.63 ± 0.41 µg mL-1), and N-((4'-chloro-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-yl)carbamoyl)-1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (9g, EC50 = 1.31 ± 0.15 µg mL-1) exhibited activities against S. sclerotiorum that were better than the commercial fungicide bixafen (EC50 = 9.15 ± 0.05 µg mL-1) and similar to the positive control fluxapyroxad (EC50 = 0.71 ± 0.11 µg mL-1). These compounds were not significantly phytotoxic to monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) are discussed by substituent effects/molecular docking, and density functional theory analysis indicated that these compounds are succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors.

Discovery of Highly Efficient Novel Antifungal Lead Compounds Targeting Succinate Dehydrogenase: Pyrazole-4-carboxamide Derivatives with an N-Phenyl Substituted Amide Fragment.

Developing environmentally friendly fungicides is crucial to tackle the issue of rising pesticide resistance. In this study, a series of novel pyrazole-4-carboxamide derivatives containing N-phenyl substituted amide fragments were designed and synthesized. The structures of target compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS, and the crystal structure of the most active compound N-(1-(4-(4-(tert-butyl)benzamido)phenyl)propan-2-yl)-3-(difluoromethyl)-N-methoxy-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (U22) was further determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The bioassay results indicated that the 26 target compounds possessed good in vitro antifungal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum with EC50 values for compounds U12, U13, U15, U16, U18, U22, and U23 being 4.17 ± 0.46, 8.04 ± 0.71, 7.01 ± 0.71, 12.77 ± 1.00, 8.11 ± 0.70, 0.94 ± 0.11, and 9.48 ± 0.83 µg·mL-1, respectively, which were the similar to controls bixafen (6.70 ± 0.47 µg·mL-1), fluxapyroxad (0.71 ± 0.14 µg·mL-1), and pydiflumetofen (0.06 ± 0.01 µg·mL-1). Furthermore, in vivo antifungal activity results against S. sclerotiorum indicated that compounds U12 (80.6%) and U22 (89.9%) possessed excellent preventative efficacy at 200 µg·mL-1, which was the same as the control pydiflumetofen (82.4%). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies found that the compound U22 could destroy the hyphal morphology and damage mitochondria, cell membranes, and vacuoles. The results of molecular docking of compound U22 and pydiflumetofen with succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) indicated they interact well with the active site of SDH. This study validated our approach and design strategy to produce compounds with an enhanced biological activity as compared to the parent structure.

Novel Dioxolane Ring Compounds for the Management of Phytopathogen Diseases as Ergosterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors: Synthesis, Biological Activities, and Molecular Docking.

Thirty novel dioxolane ring compounds were designed and synthesized. Their chemical structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, HRMS, and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Bioassays indicated that these dioxolane ring derivatives exhibited excellent fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani, Pyricularia oryae, Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, Physalospora piricola, Cercospora arachidicola and herbicidal activity against lettuce (Lactuca sativa), bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), and duckweed (Lemna pausicostata). Among these compounds, 1-((2-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-methyl-1,3-dioxan-2-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (D17), 1-(((4R)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (D20), 1-((5-methyl-2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1,3-dioxan-2-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (D22), and 1-((2-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (D26) had broad spectrum fungicidal and herbicidal activity. The IC50 values against duckweed were 20.5 ± 9.0, 14.2 ± 6.7, 24.0 ± 11.0, 8.7 ± 3.5, and 8.0 ± 3.1 µM for D17, D20, D22, and D26 and the positive control difenoconazole, respectively. The EC50 values were 7.31 ± 0.67, 9.74 ± 0.83, 17.32 ± 1.23, 11.96 ± 0.98, and 8.93 ± 0.91 mg/L for D17, D20, D22, and D26 and the positive control difenoconazole against the plant pathogen R. solani, respectively. Germination experiments with Arabidopsis seeds indicated that the target of these dioxolane ring compounds in plants is brassinosteroid biosynthesis. Molecular simulation docking results of compound D26 and difenoconazole with fungal CYP51 P450 confirmed that they both inhibit this enzyme involved in ergosterol biosynthesis. The structure-activity relationships (SAR) are discussed by substituent effect, molecular docking, and density functional theory analysis, which provided useful information for designing more active compounds.

Synthesis and Pesticidal Activity of New Niacinamide Derivatives Containing a Flexible, Chiral Chain.

Natural products are a source for pesticide or drug discovery. In order to discover lead compounds with high fungicidal or herbicidal activity, new niacinamide derivatives derived from the natural product niacinamide, containing chiral flexible chains, were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS analysis. The fungicidal and herbicidal activities of these compounds were tested. The fungicidal activity results demonstrated that the compound (S)-2-(2-chloronicotinamido)propyl-2-methylbenzoate (3i) exhibited good fungicidal activity (92.3% inhibition) against the plant pathogen Botryosphaeria berengriana at 50 µg/mL and with an EC50 of 6.68 ± 0.72 µg/mL, which is the same as the positive control (fluxapyroxad). Compound 3i was not phytotoxic and could therefore be used as a fungicide on crops. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) were studied by molecular docking simulations with the succinate dehydrogenase of the fungal mitochondrial respiratory chain.

Design, Synthesis, DFT Study and Antifungal Activity of Pyrazolecarboxamide Derivatives.

A series of novel pyrazole amide derivatives were designed and synthesized by multi-step reactions from phenylhydrazine and ethyl 3-oxobutanoate as starting materials, and their structures were characterized by NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The antifungal activity of the title compounds was determined. The results indicated that some of title compounds exhibited moderate antifungal activity. Furthermore, DFT calculations were used to study the structure-activity relationships (SAR).

Microwave assisted synthesis, antifungal activity, and DFT study of some novel triazolinone derivatives.

A series of some novel 1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-one derivatives were designed and synthesized under microwave irradiation via multistep reaction. The structures of 1,2,4-triazoles were confirmed by (1)H NMR, MS, FTIR, and elemental analysis. The antifungal activities of 1,2,4-triazoles were determined. The antifungal activity results indicated that the compounds 5c, 5f, and 5h exhibited good activity against Pythium ultimum, and the compounds 5b and 5c displayed good activity against Corynespora cassiicola. Theoretical calculation of the compound 5c was carried out with B3LYP/6-31G (d). The full geometry optimization was carried out using 6-31G(d) basis set, and the frontier orbital energy and electrostatic potential were discussed, and the structure-activity relationship was also studied.

Design, synthesis, antifungal activities and 3D-QSAR of new N,N'-diacylhydrazines containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxy moiety.

A series of new N,N'-diacylhydrazine derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their structures were verified by 1H-NMR, mass spectra (MS) and elemental analysis. The antifungal activities of these N,N'-diacylhydrazines were evaluated. The bioassay results showed that most of these N,N'-diacylhydrazines showed excellent antifungal activities against Cladosporium cucumerinum, Corynespora cassiicola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Erysiphe cichoracearum, and Colletotrichum orbiculare in vivo. The half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of one of the compounds was also determined, and found to be comparable with a commercial drug. To further investigate the structure-activity relationship, comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was performed on the basis of antifungal activity data. Both the steric and electronic field distributions of CoMFA are in good agreement in this study.

Microwave assisted synthesis, antifungal activity and DFT theoretical study of some novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives containing the 1,2,3-thiadiazole moiety.

In order to investigate the biological activity of 1,2,4-triazole compounds, seventeen novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives containing 1,2,3-thiadiazole moieties were synthesized by multi-step reactions under microwave assisted conditions. The structures were characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS and elemental analyses. The target compounds were evaluated for their in vivo fungicidal activities against Corynespora cassiicola, Pseudomonas syringae pv. Lachrymans, and Pseudoperonospora cubensis, and the results indicated that some of the title compounds displayed good fungicidal activities. Theoretical calculations on the title compounds were carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G (d,p). level. The full geometry optimization was carried out using the 6-31G(d,p) basis set, and the frontier orbital energy, atomic net charges were discussed, and the structure-activity relationships were also studied.

2,5-Bis[(3-chloro-benz-yl)sulfan-yl]-1,3,4-thia-diazole.

The complete mol-ecule of the title compound, C(16)H(12)Cl(2)N(2)S(3), is generated by crystallographic twofold symmetry, with the S atom of the thiadiazole ring lying on the rotation axis. The dihedral angle between the mean planes of the 1,3,4-thia-diazole and benzene rings is 87.19 (7)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯N inter-actions and short S⋯S contacts [3.3389 (9) Å] occur.

N,N'-Bis(2,6-diisopropyl-phen-yl)-3,6-di-methyl-1,2,4,5-tetra-zine-1,4-dicarboxamide.

In the title mol-ecule, C(30)H(42)N(6)O(2), the amide-substituted N atoms of the tetra-zine ring deviate from the approximate plane of the four other atoms in the ring by 0.457 (3) and 0.463 (3) Å, forming a boat conformation. The two benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 47.69 (9)°. Intra-molecular N-H⋯N and weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds are observed.

3-(2-Chloro-3,3,3-trifluoro-prop-1-en-1-yl)-2,2-dimethyl-N-[3-(trifluoro-meth-yl)phen-yl]cyclo-propane-carboxamide.

In the title mol-ecule, C(16)H(14)ClF(6)NO, the cyclo-propane ring forms a dihedral angle of 70.82 (18)° with the benzene ring. The torsion angles about the ethyl-ene and amide bonds are -2.2 (5) (Cl-C-C-C) and 0.8 (5)° (O-C-N-C). A supra-molecular chain propagated by glide symmetry along [001] and mediated by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds is observed in the crystal packing.

1-{[3-(2-Chloro-3,3,3-trifluoro-prop-1-en-yl)-2,2-dimethyl-cyclo-propan-1-yl]carbon-yl}-3-(methyl-sulfon-yl)imidazolidin-2-one.

In the title mol-ecule, C(13)H(16)ClF(3)N(2)O(4)S, the imidazolidine ring is approximately planar, the largest deviation from this plane being 0.025 (3) Å. The cyclo-propane ring forms a dihedral angle of 64.1 (2)° with the imidazolidine ring. In the crystal, C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds are observed.

N(1),N(4),3,6-Tetra-methyl-1,2,4,5-tetra-zine-1,4-dicarboxamide.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(8)H(14)N(6)O(2), contains two independent mol-ecules. In one mol-ecule, the amide-substituted N atoms of the tetra-zine ring deviate from the plane [maximum deviation = 0.028 (1) Å] through the four other atoms in the ring by 0.350 (2) and 0.344 (2) Å, forming a boat conformation, and the mean planes of the two carboxamide groups form dihedral angles of 10.46 (13) and 20.41 (12)° with the four approximtely planar atoms in the tetra-zine ring. In the other mol-ecule, the amide-substituted N atoms of the tetra-zine ring deviate from the plane [maximum deviation = 0.033 (1) Å] through the four other atoms in the ring by 0.324 (2) and 0.307 (2) Å, forming a boat conformation, and the mean planes of the two carboxamide groups form dihedral angles of 14.66 (11) and 17.08 (10)° with the four approximately planar atoms of the tetra-zine ring. In the crystal, N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect mol-ecules to form a two-dimensional network parallel to (1-1-1). Intra-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds are observed.

3,6-Bis(4-chloro-phen-yl)-N,N-bis-(1-phenyl-eth-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetra-zine-1,4-di-carboxamide.

In the title mol-ecule, C(32)H(28)Cl(2)N(6)O(2), the amide-substituted N atoms of the tetra-zine ring deviate from the approximate plane of the four other atoms in the ring by 0.468 (3) and 0.484 (3) Å, forming a boat conformation. The dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 67.0 (1)° and that between the two chloro-substituted benzene rings is 73.8 (1)°. Two intra-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds are observed.

(3,6-Dimethyl-1,2,4,5-tetra-zine-1,4-di-yl)bis-[(morpholin-4-yl)methanone].

In the title mol-ecule, C(14)H(22)N(6)O(4), the amide-substituted N atoms of the tetra-zine ring deviate from the approximate plane of the four other atoms in the ring by 0.160 (2) and 0.243 (2) Å, forming a slight boat conformation. The morpholine rings are in chair conformations.