Synthesis and insecticidal evaluation of novel N-pyridylpyrazolecarboxamides containing cyano substituent in the ortho-position

In an attempt to search for potent insecticides targeting the ryanodine receptor (RyR), a series of novel N-pyridylpyrazolecarboxamides containing cyano substituent in the ortho-position were designed and synthesized. Their insecticidal activities of target compounds against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) indicated that most of the compounds showed moderate to high activities at the tested concentrations. In particular, compound 6l and 6o showed 86% larvicidal activities against Plutella xylostella at the concentration of 0.1 mg/L, while the activity of compound 6h against Mythimna separate was 80% at 1 mg/L. The calcium imaging technique was applied to investigate the effects of some title compounds on the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i), experimental results demonstrated that compound 6h stimulates a transient elevation in [Ca²⁺]_i in the absence of external calcium after the central neurons dye loading with fluo-3 AM. However, when the central neurons were dyed with fluo-5 N and incubated with 2-APB, [Ca²⁺]i decreased transiently by treated of compound 6h. All of the calcium imaging technique experiments demonstrated that these novel compounds deliver calcium from endoplasmic reticulum to cytoplasm, which proved that the title compounds were the possible activators of insect RyR.     

Design,synthesis, anticancer activity and docking studies of novel 4-morpholino-7,8-dihydro-5H-thiopyrano[4,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives as mTOR inhibitors

A series of 7,8-dihydro-5H-thiopyrano[4,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives (7a–q, 10a–q) were designed, synthesized and their chemical structures were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS and HRMS spectrum. All the compounds were evaluated for the inhibitory activity against mTOR kinase at 10 μM level. Five selected compounds (7b, 7e, 7h, 10b and 10e) were further evaluated for the inhibitory activity against PI3Kα at 10 μM level, and the IC₅₀ values against mTOR kinase and two cancer cell lines. Twelve of the target compounds exhibited moderate antitumor activities. The most promising compound 7e showed strong antitumor activities against mTOR kinase, H460 and PC-3 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 0.80 ± 0.15 μM, 7.43 ± 1.45 μM and 11.90 ± 0.94 μM, which were 1.28 to 1.71-fold more active than BMCL-200908069-1 (1.37 ± 0.07 μM, 9.52 ± 0.29 μM, 16.27 ± 0.54 μM), respectively. Structure–activity relationships (SARs) and docking studies indicated that the thiopyrano[4,3-d]pyrimidine scaffolds exerted little effect on antitumor activities of target compounds. Substitutions of aryl group at C-4 position had a significant impact on the antitumor activities, and 4-OH substitution produced the best potency.     

Synthesis of some novel phosphorylated and thiophosphorylated benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles and their evaluation for larvicidal potential to Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus

Series of benzimidazole and benzothiazole linked phosphoramidates and phosphoramidothioates (5a–j) and benzimidazole linked phenylphosphoramidates and phenylphosphoramidothioates (10a–e) were synthesized. The title compounds were preliminary screened for mosquito larvicidal properties against Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus at different concentration from 40 to 5 mg/L. Among the screened compounds three compounds revealed potential larvicidal effects with 100% mortality in the order of 10e > 5j > 5e. Compound 10e was found to be the most toxic compound to Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus. The LC₅₀ of 10e against Ae. albopictus was found to be 6.42 and 5.25 mg/L at 24 and 48 h, respectively, whereas it was 7.01 and 3.88 mg/L, respectively in Cx. quinquefasciatus. Temephos was used as positive control.     

New 1,2-diaryl-4-substituted-benzylidene-5-4H-imidazolone derivatives: Design,synthesis and biological evaluation as potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents

A new series of 1,2-diaryl-4-substituted-benzylidene-5-4H-imidazolone derivatives 10a-h was designed and synthesized for evaluation as selective COX-2 inhibitors, anti-inflammatory agents and as analgesic agents. All compounds were more selective for COX-2 isozyme and showed good in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. Compounds 10a, 10b, 10e and 10f were the most COX-2 selective compounds (S.I. = 10.76, 10.87, 8.69 and 9.14 respectively), the most potent anti-inflammatory derivatives (ED₅₀ = 65.7, 60.2, 76.3 and 107.4 μmol/kg respectively) in comparison with Celecoxib (COX-2 S.I. = 8.61, ED₅₀ = 82.2 μmol/kg) and were less ulcerogenic (ulcer indexes = 1.22–3.02) than Ibuprofen (ulcer index = 20.25) and comparable to Celecoxib (ulcer index = 2.93). The four derivatives (10a, 10b, 10e and 10f) showed considerable analgesic activities which are clearly parallel to their anti-inflammatory activities.     

Synthesis and biological activities of 2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazole compounds and its derivatives as potential activator of ryanodine receptors

A series of novel 2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazoles containing N-pyridylpyrazole carboxamides moieties were obtained by applying a new synthetic route. Their insecticidal tests against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) indicated that most of the compounds showed moderate to excellent activities at the testing concentrations. In particular, compound 6a showed 40% larvicidal activities against oriental armyworm at 1 mg/L, while 7a against diamondback was 100% at 0.01 mg/L. Calcium imaging results demonstrated that 6a, 6d and 7a stimulated a transient elevation in [Ca²⁺]_i in the absence of external calcium after the central neurons dye loading with fluo-3 AM, implying that these novel compounds were potential activators of the ligand-gated calcium channel on the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Design,synthesis and structure–activity relationship of novel diphenylamine derivatives

Diphenylamine derivatives have been reported with good fungicidal, insecticidal, acaricidal, rodenticidal and/or herbicidal activities. To find new lead compound of this kind, a series of novel diphenylamine derivatives were designed and synthesized by the approach of Intermediate Derivatization Methods. All compounds were identified by ¹H NMR and elemental analysis. Bioassays demonstrated that some compounds substituted at 2,4,6-positions or 2,4,5-positions of phenyl ring B exhibited excellent fungicidal activities. The optimal compounds P30 and P33 showed 80% and 85% control respectively against cucumber downy mildew at 12.5 mg L⁻¹, both 100% control against rice blast at 0.3 mg L⁻¹ and both 100% control against cucumber gray mold at 0.9 mg L⁻¹. The relationship between structure and fungicidal activities was discussed as well.     

Design and synthesis of 1-(benzothiazol-5-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones as protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitors

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO, E.C. 1.3.3.4) is the action target for several structurally diverse herbicides. A series of novel 4-(difluoromethyl)-1-(6-halo-2-substituted-benzothiazol-5-yl)-3-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-ones 2a–z were designed and synthesized via the ring-closure of two ortho-substituents. The in vitro bioassay results indicated that the 26 newly synthesized compounds exhibited good PPO inhibition effects with K_i values ranging from 0.06 to 17.79 μM. Compound 2e, ethyl 2-{[5-(4-(difluoromethyl)-3-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-6-fluorobenzo-thiazol-2-yl]thio}acetate, was the most potent inhibitor with K_i value of 0.06 μM against mtPPO, comparable to (K_i = 0.03 μM) sulfentrazone. Further green house assays showed that compound 2f (K_i = 0.24 μM, mtPPO), ethyl 2-{[5-(4-(difluoromethyl)-3-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-6-fluorobenzothiazol-2-yl]thio}propanoate, showed the most promising post-emergence herbicidal activity with broad spectrum even at concentrations as low as 37.5 g ai/ha. Soybean exhibited tolerance to compound 2f at the dosages of 150 g ai/ha, whereas they are susceptible to sulfentrazone even at 75 g ai/ha. Thus, compound 2f might be a potential candidate as a new herbicide for soybean fields.     

(R)-3-Amino-1-((3aS,7aS)-octahydro-1H-indol-1-yl)-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butan-1-one derivatives as potent inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase-4: Design,synthesis, biological evaluation,and molecular modeling

A series of (R)-3-amino-1-((3aS,7aS)-octahydro-1H-indol-1-yl)-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butan-1-one derivatives was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as novel inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Most of the synthesized compounds demonstrated good inhibition activities against DPP-4. Among these, compounds 3e, 4c, 4l, and 4n exhibited prominent inhibition activities against DPP-4, with IC₅₀s of 0.07, 0.07, 0.14, and 0.17 μM, respectively. The possible binding modes of compounds 3e and 4n with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 were also explored by molecular docking simulation. These potent DPP-4 inhibitors were optimized for the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties, and compound 4n displayed an attractive pharmacokinetic profile (F = 96.3%, t_1/2 = 10.5 h).     

Investigation of various N-heterocyclic substituted piperazine versions of 5/7-{[2-(4-aryl-piperazin-1-yl)-ethyl]-propyl-amino}-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-naphthalen-2-ol: Effect on affinity and selectivity for dopamine D3 receptor

Here we report on the design and synthesis of several heterocyclic analogues belonging to the 5/7-{[2-(4-aryl-piperazin-1-yl)-ethyl]-propyl-amino}-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-naphthalen-2-ol series of molecules. Compounds were subjected to [³H]spiperone binding assays, carried out with HEK-293 cells expressing either D2 or D3 dopamine receptors, in order to evaluate their inhibition constant (K_i) at these receptors. Results indicate that N-substitution on the piperazine ring can accommodate various substituted indole rings. The results also show that in order to maintain high affinity and selectivity for the D3 receptor the heterocyclic ring does not need to be connected directly to the piperazine ring as the majority of compounds included here are linked either via an amide or a methylene linker to the heterocyclic moiety. The enantiomers of the most potent racemic compound 10e exhibited differential activity with (?)-10e (K_i; D2 = 47.5 nM, D3 = 0.57 nM) displaying higher affinity at both D2 and D3 receptors compared to its enantiomer (+)-10e (K_i; D2 = 113 nM, D3 = 3.73 nM). Additionally, compound (?)-10e was more potent and selective for the D3 receptor compared to either 7-OH-DPAT or 5-OH-DPAT. Among the bioisosteric derivatives, the indazole derivative 10g and benzo[b]thiophene derivative 10i exhibited the highest affinity for D2 and D3 receptors. In the functional GTPγS binding study, one of the lead molecules, (?)-15, exhibited potent agonist activity at both D2 and D3 receptors with preferential affinity at D3.     

The application of Heck reaction in the synthesis of guaianolide sesquiterpene lactones derivatives selectively inhibiting resistant acute leukemic cells

A series of guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactones derivatives with arylation of α-methylene-γ-lactone moiety was synthesized using Heck reactions, and was evaluated for their activities against acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell line HL-60 and doxorubicin-resistant cell line HL-60/A. Although all compounds were significantly less active against HL-60 than the parent molecules, surprisingly, compounds 3a, 4c–4e, 5e, and 8d exhibited high potency against doxorubicin-resistant cell line HL-60/A (IC₅₀ = 6.2–19 μM), and their activities against HL-60/A were comparable to that of their parent molecules. In view of their novel activities against HL-60/A, compound 5e with inhibitory activity against HL-60/A (IC₅₀ = 6.2 ± 0.5 μM) was selected for study its preliminary mechanism. The result reveals that compound 5e can obviously induce apoptosis.     

Studies on depigmenting activities of dihydroxyl benzamide derivatives containing adamantane moiety

Six diphenolic compounds containing adamantane moiety were synthesized and evaluated as potent inhibitors on tyrosinase activity and melanin formation in melan-a cells. The inhibitory activity of 4-adamantyl resorcinol 1 was similar to that of 4-n-butyl resorcinol in both assays. However, dihydroxyl benzamide derivatives 6a–e showed different inhibitory patterns. All derivatives significantly suppressed the cellular melanin formation without tyrosinase inhibitory activities. These behaviors indicated that the introduction of amide bond changes the binding mode of dihydroxyl groups to tyrosinase. Among derivatives, 6d (3,4-dihydroxyl compound) and 6e (2,3-dihydroxyl compound) showed stronger inhibitory activities (IC₅₀ = 1.25 μM and 0.73 μM, respectively) as compared to 4-n-butyl resorcinol (IC₅₀ = 21.64 μM) and hydroquinone (IC₅₀ = 3.97 μM). This study showed that the position of dihydroxyl substituent at aromatic ring is important for the intercellular inhibition of melanin formation, and also amide linkage and adamantane moiety enhance the inhibition.     

C ring may be dispensable for β-carboline: Design,synthesis, and bioactivities evaluation of tryptophan analog derivatives based on the biosynthesis of β-carboline alkaloids

According to our previous work and the latest research on the biosynthesis of β-carboline, and using the reverse thinking strategy, tryptophan, the biosynthesis precursor of β-carboline alkaloids, and their derivatives were synthesized, and their biological activities and structure–activity relationships were studied. This bioassay showed that these compounds exhibited good inhibitory activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV); especially (S)-2-amino-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-N-octylpropanamide (4) (63.3 ± 2.1%, 67.1 ± 1.9%, 68.7 ± 1.3%, and 64.5 ± 3.1%, 500 μg/mL) exhibited the best antiviral activity both in vitro and in vivo. Compound 4 was chosen for the field trials and the acute oral toxicity test, the results showed that the compound exhibited good anti-TMV activity in the field and low acute oral toxicity. We also found that these compounds showed antifungal activities and insecticidal activities.     

Design and synthesis of novel anti-Alzheimer’s agents: Acridine-chromenone and quinoline-chromenone hybrids

A novel series of acridine-chromenone and quinoline-chromenone hybrids were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as anti-Alzheimer’s agents. All synthesized compounds were evaluated as cholinesterases (ChEs) inhibitors and among them, 7-(4-(6-chloro-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[b]quinolin-9-ylamino)phenoxy)-4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one (8e) exhibited the most potent anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 16.17 μM) comparing with rivastigmine (IC₅₀ = 11.07 μM) as the reference drug. Also, compound 8e was assessed for its β-secretase (BACE1) inhibitory and neuroprotective activities which demonstrated satisfactory results. It should be noted that both kinetic study on the inhibition of AChE and molecular modeling revealed that compound 8e interacted simultaneously with both the catalytic active site (CAS) and peripheral anionic site (PAS) of AChE.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 3-substituted 4-anilino-coumarin derivatives as antitumor agents

Various 3-substituted 4-anilino-coumarin derivatives have been designed, synthesized and their anti-proliferative properties have been studied. The in vitro cytotoxicity screening was performed against MCF-7, HepG2, HCT116 and Panc-1 cancer cell lines by MTT assay. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited comparable anti-proliferative activity to the positive control 5-Fluorouracil against these four tested cancer cell lines. Among the different substituents at C-3 position of coumarin scaffold, 3-trifluoroacetyl group showed the most promising results. Especially, compounds 33d (IC₅₀ = 16.57, 5.45, 4.42 and 5.16 μM) and 33e (IC₅₀ = 20.14, 6.71, 4.62 and 5.62 μM) showed excellent anti-proliferative activities on MCF-7, HepG2, HCT116 and Panc-1 cell lines respectively. In addition, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis activation revealed that 33d induced G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Low toxicity of compounds 33d and 33e was observed against human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), suggesting their acceptable safety profiles in normal cells. Furthermore, the results of in silico ADME studies indicated that both 33d and 33e exhibited good pharmacokinetic properties.     

Design,synthesis, and bioactivities of novel oxadiazole-substituted pyrazole oximes

A series of novel pyrazole oxime derivatives containing a substituted oxadiazole group were designed and synthesized. The bioassay results indicated that some title compounds displayed good acaricidal and insecticidal activities against Tetranychus cinnabarinus, Aphis medicaginis, Oriental armyworm, and Nilaparvata lugens. Especially, compounds 7a, 7b, and 7c had 80%, 90%, and 90% insecticidal activities against A. medicaginis at 20 μg/mL, respectively. Interestingly, some of the designed compounds displayed wonderful fungicidal activities in vivo against cucumber Pseudoperonospora cubensis. Furthermore, compounds 7a (EC₅₀ = 4.97 μg/mL) and 7h (EC₅₀ = 0.51 μg/mL) showed excellent fungicidal activity against P. cubensis comparable or better than that of the control Pyraclostrobin (EC₅₀ = 4.59 μg/mL).     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of nonsymmetrical aromatic disulfides as novel inhibitors of acetohydroxyacid synthase

46 Novel nonsymmetrical aromatic disulfides containing [1,3,4]thiadiazole or [1,3,4]oxadiazole groups were synthesized and their biological activities were evaluated as inhibitors of acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS, EC 2.2.1.6). Besides their strong in vitro inhibition against plant AHAS, compounds 3e and 3f also display 80–100% post-emergence herbicidal activities in greenhouse bioassay at 1500 g/ha dosage. The assay of exogenous branched-chain amino acids supplementation on rape root growth of 3e suggests that the herbicidal activity has relationship with AHAS inhibition.     

Synthesis, α-glucosidase inhibitory,cytotoxicity and docking studies of 2-aryl-7-methylbenzimidazoles

Benzimidazole analogs 1–27 were synthesized, characterized by EI-MS and ¹H NMR and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were found out experimentally. Compound 25, 19, 10 and 20 have best inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values 5.30 ± 0.10, 16.10 ± 0.10, 25.36 ± 0.14 and 29.75 ± 0.19 respectively against α-glucosidase. Compound 6 and 12 has no inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase enzyme among the series. Further studies showed that the compounds are not showing any cytotoxicity effect. The docking studies of the compounds as well as the experimental activities of the compounds correlated well. From the molecular docking studies, it was observed that the top ranked conformation of all the compounds fit well in the active site of the homology model of α-glucosidase.     

Design and synthesis of N-2,6-difluorophenyl-5-methoxyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]-pyrimidine-2-sulfonamide as acetohydroxyacid synthase inhibitor

Triazolopyrimidine-2-sulfonamide belongs to a herbicide group called acetohydroxyacid synthase inhibitors. With the aim to discover new triazolopyrimidine sulfonanilide compounds with high herbicidal activity and faster degradation rate in soil, the methyl group of Flumetsulam (FS) was modified into a methoxy group to produce a new herbicidal compound, N-2,6-difluorophenyl-5-methoxy-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-2-sulfonamide (experimental code: Y6610). The enzymatic kinetic results indicated that compound Y6610 and FS have k_i values of 3.31 × 10^?6 M and 3.60 × 10^?7 M against Arabidopsis thaliana AHAS, respectively. The 10-fold lower enzyme-inhibiting activity of Y6610 was explained rationally by further computational simulations and binding free energy calculations. In addition, compound Y6610 was found to display the same level in vivo post-emergent herbicidal activity as FS against some broad-leaf weeds and good safety to rice, maize, and wheat at the dosages of 75–300 g ai/ha. Further determination of the half-lives in soil revealed that the half-life in soil of Y6610 is 3.9 days shorter than that of FS. The experimental results herein showed that compound Y6610 could be regarded as a new potential acetohydroxyacid synthase-inhibiting herbicide candidate for further study.     

Synthesis,and docking studies of phenylpyrimidine-carboxamide derivatives bearing 1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine moiety as c-Met inhibitors

Four series of phenylpyrimidine-carboxamide derivatives bearing 1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine moiety (14a–e, 15a–g, 16a–e and 17a–g) were designed, synthesized and evaluated for the IC₅₀ values against three cancer cell lines (A549, PC-3 and MCF-7). Four selected compounds (15e, 16a–b and 17a) were further evaluated for the activity against c-Met kinase, HepG2 and Hela cell lines. Most of the compounds showed excellent cytotoxicity activity and selectivity with the IC₅₀ valuables in single-digit μM to nanomole range. Eleven of them are equal to more active than positive control Foretinib against one or more cell lines. The most promising compound 15e showed superior activity to Foretinib against A549, PC-3 and MCF-7 cell lines, with the IC₅₀ values of 0.14 ± 0.08 μM, 0.24 ± 0.07 μM and 0.02 ± 0.01 μM, which were 4.6, 1.6 and 473.5 times more active than Foretinib (0.64 ± 0.26 μM, 0.39 ± 0.11 μM, 9.47 ± 0.22 μM), respectively. Structure–activity relationships (SARs) and docking studies indicated that the replacement of phenylpicolinamide scaffold with phenylpyrimidine fragment of the target compounds was benefit for the activity. What’s more, the introduction of fluoro atom to the aminophenoxy part played no significant impact on the activity and any substituent group on aryl group is unfavourable for the activity.     

Synthesis and insecticidal activities of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives targeting calcium channel

A series of compounds containing dihydroquinazolinone moiety was designed and synthesized. Amine bridge part was changed in comparison with known anthranilic diamides insecticides. Their insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) indicated that most of the compounds showed moderate to high activities at the tested concentrations. In particular, compounds 5a and 5k showed 80% larvicidal activities against oriental armyworm at the concentration of 5 mg/L. The present study also explored the possible effects of target compounds on the high voltage-gated calcium channel and the calcium channels in the endoplasmic reticulum in the central neurons isolated from the third instar larvae of Spodoptera exigua using whole-cell patch clamp and calcium imaging technique. The results showed that compound 5a activated the high voltage-gated calcium channel in the central neurons of S. exigua weakly. The peak currents only increased by 6% of the initial value at the end of the 10-min recording after treated with 0.22 μM 5a, while chlorantraniliprole has an opposite effect. The effects of 5a on the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) in neurons were well investigated. The experimental results indicated that these novel compounds have different mechanism compared with chlorantraniliprole.