Synthesis and Biological Activity of O,O-Dialkyl S-(5-Aryl-l,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-on-3-yl)methyl Phosphorothioates and Phosphorodithioates

Some phosphorus derivatives of oxadiazoles were synthesized to seek insecticidal lead compounds. The l,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones were converted via the N-methylol derivatives to the corresponding N-chloromethyl derivatives. From these derivatives a variety of O,O-dimethyl phosphorodithioates 4, O,O-dimethyl phosphorothioates 5 and O,O-di-i-propyl phosphorothioates 6 were prepared.

These phosphorus derivatives were examined for insecticidal activity towards houseflies and for anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE) activity using the housefly heads as an enzyme source. Most of the compounds 4 and 5 showed contact toxicity as high as the analogous methidathion insecticides, which appeared to correlate with the strong anti-AChE activity. On the other hand, all the compounds 6 showed a high activity in AChE inhibition but only a poor insecticidal activity.     

Synthesis of matrinic amide derivatives containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole scaffold as insecticidal/acaricidal agents

In continuation of our program aimed at the development of natural product-based pesticidal agents, a series of matrinic amide derivatives containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole scaffold were prepared, and their insecticidal and acaricidal activities were evaluated against Mythimna separata and Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Some compounds exhibited potent insecticidal and acaricidal activities. It suggested that R¹ as a nitro group and R² as a fluorine atom, were important for the insecticidal activity; R¹ as the electron-donating groups and R² as the methyl group, were necessary for the acaricidal activity.     

Synthesis and Biological Activity of 1,2-Dithiolanes and 1,2-Dithianes Bearing a Nitrogen-containing Substituent

A series of 1,2-dithiolanes, 1,2-dithianes and related compounds bearing a nitrogen-containing substituent were synthesized and their pesticidal activity was tested. A new general synthetic route to 1,2-dithiolanes was established from 1,3-diols. A variation in the position and character of the nitrogen atom is shown to be allowable to some extent for promoting insecticidal activity, unlike the case of sulfur atoms. Most compounds showed acaricidal activity, the strongest being displayed by cis-3,5-bis(dimethylaminomethyl)-1,2-dithiolane.     

Synthesis and Insecticidal Activities of Novel 1,3,4-Thiadiazole 5-Fluorouracil Acetamides Derivatives: An RNA Interference Insecticide

A series of novel 1,3,4-thiadiazole 5-fluorouracil acetamides derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by infrared, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The insecticidal activities against Tetranychus cinnabarinus and Aphis craccivora of these new compounds were evaluated. The bioassay tests showed that most of these title compounds possessed a good combination of stomach toxicity as well as contact toxicity against Tetranychus cinnabarinus and Aphis craccivora. In particular, the insecticidal activity of the title compound IVe against Aphis craccivora was better than the commercialized thiacloprid and was also comparable to another commercialized product, imidacloprid. The introduction of fluorines to meta and para-position of the benzene ring was essential for high bioactivity.     

Synthesis and Biological Activity of the Functional Derivatives of 3- and 4-(Dimethyl-aminomethyl)-1,2-dithiolanes

A variety of derivatives of 3- and 4-(dimethylaminomethyl)-1,2-dithiolanes were prepared as their biological equivalents in an analogous way to that for the nereistoxin derivatives. Most of them showed insecticidal and acaricidal activity. High potency against Chilo suppressalis was displayed by S,S′-[2-(dimethylaminomethyl)trimethylene] bis(thiobenzoate), and a broad spectrum of activity was observed for 5-(dimethylaminomethyl)-1,2,3-trithiane. The stereochemistry of the 1,3-dithianes is also discussed.     

Pesticidal activity of virginiamycins S1 and M1

Virginiamycins S1 and M1, two major components of the antibacterial antibiotic complex produced byStreptomyces virginiae and used as an animal growth promoter in animal husbandry, exhibited a selective insecticidal activity againstLeptinotarsa decemlineata comparable with the effect of the organophosphorus pesticide Metathion. An acaricidal effect of the two compounds on eggs ofTetranychus urticae was also observed.     

trans-2,5-Hexadien-l-yl Chrysanthemates and Related Esters

As a simplified model of natural pyrethrins, trans-2,5-hexadien-l-yl chrysanthemate (V), and its 2- or 3-methyl substituted homologues (III and IV), were prepared and tested for insecticidal activities against houseflies. All these compounds retained sufficient insect toxicity to illustrate an interesting relationships between chemical structure and insecticidal activity.

The cis isomer (XII) of compound V and two positional isomers, 2-methylene-4-penten-l-yl and 1,5-hexadien-3-yl chrysanthemates (XIII and XIV), were also synthesized. Of these isomers, XIII was very slightly active, but the other isomers (XII and XIV) were completely ineffective.

On the other hand, the insecticidal activity of 5-hexen-2-yn-l-yl ester (XV), en-yne analogue of V, was almost the same as that of V.     

Synthesis,characterization and preliminary screening of regioisomeric 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-3-arylpyrazole and 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-5-arylpyrazole derivatives towards cyclooxygenase inhibition

In a search for novel compounds with analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity, a series of regioisomeric 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-3-arylpyrazole (5a–f, 6a–f) and 1-(3-pyridazinyl)-5-arylpyrazole (7a–f, 8a–f) derivatives were synthesized. The structure of these regioisomers was confirmed by spectral techniques. The compounds were preliminarily screened at 8 μM concentration for their inhibitory activity against cyclooxygenase enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, using a human whole blood test. The tested derivatives showed inhibitory activity for both enzymes and are worthy of further investigation for developing better leads.     

Insecticidal and insect growth regulatory activities of secondary metabolites from entomopathogenic fungi,Lecanicillium attenuatum

Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are effective alternatives to chemical insecticides because of their specificity and low environmental toxicity. Entomopathogenic fungi are an important natural pathogen of insects and have been developed as biological control agents. They produce a wide range of secondary metabolites such as antibiotics, pesticides, growth-promoting or inhibiting compounds and insect attracting agents. In this study, to explore novel IGR substances from entomopathogenic fungi, culture extracts of 189 entomopathogenic fungi isolated from Korean soil samples were investigated for their juvenile hormone (JH)-based IGR activities. Whereas none of the culture extracts exhibited JH agonist (JHA) activity, 14 extracts showed high levels of JH antagonist (JHAN) activity. Among them, culture extract of JEF-145 strain, which was identified as Lecanicillium attenuatum, showed the highest insecticidal against Aedes albopictus and Plutella xylostella. At liquid culture condition, JHAN activity was observed in culture soup rather than mycelial cake, indicating that substances with JHAN activity are released from the JEF-145 strain during culture. Furthermore, while extract from solid cultured JEF-145 strain showed insecticidal activities against both A. albopictus and P. xylostella, that from liquid cultured fungi showed insecticidal activity only against A. albopictus, indicating that L. attenuatum JEF-145 strain produces different kinds of secondary metabolites with JHAN activity depending on culture conditions. These results suggested that JHAN substances derived from entomopathogenic fungi could be usefully exploited to develop novel eco-friendly IGR insecticides.     

Chemical Structure and Acaricidal Activity of 3-Alkylthiophenyl 4-Nitrophenyl Ethers

Many 4-nitro diphenylether derivatives with R–S (O)_x-substituents were systematically synthesized and their pesticidal activities were investigated. 3-n-Propylthiophenyl 4-nitro-phenyl ether and its sulfoxide analog exhibited remarkable acaricidal and chlorosis-inducing activities on the young leaves of plants. For all compounds with the substituent at the 4 position in the 3-n-propylthio (and -sulfinyl) phenyl group, chlorosis-inducing activity vanished and an acaricidal activity stronger than that of the parent compound appeared. Evidence that the acaricidal and chlorosis-inducing activities are greatly influenced by the size of the 4-sub-stituent and the hydrophobicity of R in the 3-R-S (O)_x-substituent is presented.     

Synthesis and bioassay evaluation of 1-(4-substitutedideneaminooxymethyl)-phenyl-3-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)ureas

A variety of novel 1-(4-substitutedideneaminooxymethyl)-phenyl-3-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)ureas were designed and synthesized by the reaction of 4-substitutedideneaminooxymethyl aniline with 2,6-difluorobenzoyl isocyanates in good yields. The title compounds were soluble in most organic solvents, which should make them easier to use. The preliminary bioassay showed that some of the title compounds show excellent insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata at the dosage of 25 mg kg(-1) and moderate insecticidal activity against Nephotettix cincticeps at the dosage of 500 mg kg(-1). Toxicity assays indicated that these title compounds cause in M. separata and N. cincticeps such symptoms of toxicity as discolouration, and weight loss, and cessation of feeding and lethal. One title compound exhibited acaricidal activity against Tetranychus urticae.     

Insect kinin mimics act as potential control agents for aphids: Structural modifications of Trp4

Insect kinins are endogenous, biologically active peptides with various physiological functions. The use of insect kinins in plant protection is being evaluated by many groups. Some kinins have been chosen as lead compounds for pest control. We previously reported an insect kinin mimic IV-3 that had insecticidal activity. And by introducing a strong electron withdrawing group (-CF₃) on the benzene ring (Phe²), we discovered a compound, L ₇ , with better activity than lead IV-3 . In this work, taking L ₇ as the lead compound, we designed and synthesized 13 compounds to evaluate the influence of position 4 (Trp⁴) of insect kinin on insecticidal activity, by replacing the H atom on tryptophan with -CH₃ and -Cl or substituting the indole ring of tryptophan with the benzene, naphthalene, pyridine, imidazole, cyclohexane, and alkyl carboxamides. The aphid bioassay results showed that the compounds M ₁ , M ₃ , and M ₅ were more active than the positive control, pymetrozine. Especially, replacing the side chain by an indole ring with 4-Cl substitution ( M ₁ , LC₅₀ = 0.0029 mmol/L) increased the aphicidal activity. The structure–activity relationships (SARs) indicated that the side chain benzene ring at this position may be important to the aphicidal activity. In addition, the toxicity prediction by Toxtree, and the toxicity experiments on Apis mellifera suggested that M ₁ was no toxicity risk on a non-target organism. It could be used as a selective and bee-friendly insecticide to control aphids.     

Biological Activities of p-Ethylphenyl and p-Acetylphenyl Phosphates and their Thiono Analogs

Sixteen phosphate or phosphorothioate esters related to neurotoxic tri-p-ethylphenyl phosphate and its active metabolites were synthesized and their biological activities including inhibitory activity against cholinesterases, insecticidal activity, toxicity to mammals and neurotoxicity were examined. Dialkyl p-ethylphenyl phoshates, p-acetylphenyl phosphates and their thiono analogs showed insecticidal activity, but did not show the ataxic sign by any sublethal doses in hens. When a methyl group was introduced on p-acetylphenyl ring, the biological activity changed remarkably by its position. The introduction of a methyl group into o-position made the ester inactive, while the introduction into m-position made it active to insects selectively.     

Syntheses of 6-Substituted 3-Pyridazinyl Phosphorothioates

A variety of 6-substituted-3-pyridazinyl phosphorothioates were synthesized by the reaction of O,O-dialkyl phosphorothiochloridates with corresponding 3 (2H)pyridazinones. In certain cases, N-alkylated pyridazinones were formed along with the desired phosphorothioates. The optimal condition for the phosphorylation and the mechanism of the N-alkylation were investigated.     

Insecticidal properties of nonactic acid and homononactic acid,the precursors of macrotetrolide antibiotics

(±)-Nonactic acid (1) and (±)-homononactic acid (2), the non-antibiotic precursors of macrotetrolide antibiotics, showed significant insecticidal effects (comparable with those of the commercial synthetic pesticide Metathion) onLeptinotarsa decemlineata, Epilachna varivestis andEuproctis chrysorrhoea. Anisoplia austriaca, Aphis fabae andCalandra granaria were less sensitive in this respect. A low acaricidal activity againstTetranychus urticae (not reaching that of the commercial miticide Acarition) was also found. Both1 and2 exhibited growth-stimulating properties for plants.     

Effect of C-terminus site-directed mutations on the toxicity and sensitivity of Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3Aa11 protein against three lepidopteran pests

The insecticidal activities and specificities of the Vip3Aa proteins derived from different Bt strains are very different, although the similarities between these proteins are higher than 95%. In this study, we hypothesised that the differences in Vip3Aa11 and Vip3Aa39 C-terminal amino acids determine their differences in insecticidal activity against three Lepidoptera insects. To find the amino acid residues associated with insecticidal activity, nine different amino acid residues of Vip3Aa11 were substituted with the corresponding amino acid residues from Vip3Aa39 by site-directed mutagenesis. The toxicity of each protein was estimated by bioassays, and the results demonstrated that the mutant Y784N lost its insecticidal activity against three insects (Agrotis ipsilon, Helicoverpa armigera, and Spodoptera exigua). The insecticidal activity of S543N, I544L, and S686R against S. exigua increased 5-fold, 2.65-fold, and 8.98-fold, while the toxicity to H. armigera and A. ipsilon slightly decreased compared with that of the Vip3Aa11 protein. These findings indicate that the amino acid residues Ser⁵⁴³, Ile⁵⁴⁴, Thr⁶⁸⁵, Ser⁶⁸⁶, Arg⁷⁰⁴, Ile⁷⁸⁰, and Tyr⁷⁸⁴ may be insecticidal activity-related residues. Additionally, the trypsin activation of the four mutants indicated that all proteins can form a 62-kDa core fragment, except Y784N. A possible association between the insecticidal activity and trypsin sensitivity of Vip3A proteins is suggested.     

Insecticidal activities of methyleugenol and β-asarone,from the herbal medicines Saishin and Sekishōkon,and other alkoxy-propenyl-benzene derivatives against the cigarette beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lasioderma serricorne</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)

The principal insecticidal compounds from the herbal medicines Saishin, the root of Asarum sieboldii Miquel, and Sekishōkon, the rhizome of Acorus gramineus Soland, were isolated by successive silica gel column chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. The active components, which work against larvae of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), were identified as methyleugenol (4-allyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene) and β-asarone {1,2,4-trimethoxy-5-[(Z)-prop-1-enyl]benzene} by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses. These two compounds share some structural features, such as a benzene ring with o-dimethoxy groups and a propenyl group in the opposite position. Consequently, the insecticidal activities of 20 structurally related compounds were tested to evaluate their structure–activity relationship. We found myristicin (5-allyl-1-methoxy-2,3-methylenedioxybenzene) exhibited comparable insecticidal activity to methyleugenol and β-asarone, but the other tested compounds were less active. The lack of insecticidal activity of compounds with a hydrogen, hydroxy, or acetoxy substituent in place of one methoxy group indicates that o-dimethoxy groups are essential for insecticidal activity. The position and configuration of a double bond in the propenyl side chain affected the toxicity, but there was a lack of consistency in the structure–activity relationship for this.     

Fumigant toxicity of cassia bark and cassia and cinnamon oil compounds to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dermatophagoides </Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">farinae </Emphasis>and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus</Emphasis> (Acari: Pyroglyphidae)

The toxicity to adults of the American house dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae, and the European house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, of cassia bark and cassia and cinnamon oil compounds was examined using residual contact and vapour-phase toxicity bioassays. Results were compared with those of the currently used acaricides: benzyl benzoate and dibutyl phthalate. The acaricidal principles of cassia bark were identified as (E)-cinnamaldehyde and salicylaldehyde. In fabric-circle residual contact bioassays with adult D. farinae, salicylaldehyde (17.3 mg/m²) and (E)-cinnamaldehyde (25.8 mg/m²) were 2.5 and 1.7 times more toxic than benzyl benzoate (43.7 mg/m²), respectively, based on 24-h LD₅₀ values. The acaricidal activity was more pronounced in benzaldehyde, menthol, α-terpineol, and thymol (70.8–234.3 mg/m²) than in dibutyl phthalate (281.0 mg/m²). Against adult D. pteronyssinus, salicylaldehyde (17.3 mg/m²) and (E)-cinnamaldehyde (19.3 mg/m²) were 2.4- and 2.2-fold more active than benzyl benzoate (41.9 mg/m²). The toxicity of benzaldehyde, menthol, α-terpineol, and thymol (75.3–179.2 mg/m²) was higher than that of dibutyl phthalate (285.1 mg/m²). In vapour-phase toxicity tests with adult D. farinae, the test compounds described were much more effective in closed—but not in open—containers, indicating that the effect of these compounds was largely a result of action in the vapour phase.     

Evaluation of the insecticidal toxicity of various pesticides for Atractomorpha lata (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) control

The insecticidal activity of 38 commercialized pesticides against Atractomorpha lata nymphs in Korea was studied. Seven pesticides showed greater than 70% insecticidal activity against A. lata nymphs after 48 h of treatment, and similar results were observed for adult A. lata using the spray method. The insecticidal activity of the seven pesticides, except for thiacloprid, against Oxya sinuosa adults was similar to that against A. lata. Clothianidin, tetraniliprole, and thiacloprid showed higher toxicity when plants and insects were treated together than when insects were treated directly, indicating that pesticides have ingestion toxicity against A. lata. Clothianidin and thiacloprid have been observed to have knockdown effects on both A. lata nymphs and adults. Tetraniliprole showed 86.7% mortality until 7 days after treatment in the residual effect test of pesticide exposure under field conditions. Therefore, this study provides basic data for A. lata control; tetraniliprole was found to be an effective insecticide for the control of A. lata nymphs and adults.