Mark A. Dekeyser

Dihydrooxadiazines: Octopaminergic system as a potential site of insecticidal action

Dihydrooxadiazines are structural analogs of octopamine and were compared with octopamine for their ability to compete with [ 3 H]dihydroergocryptine ([ 3 H]DHE) for binding sites on DHE-sensitive receptors, to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity in nervous system homogenates of Periplaneta americana L., and to modulate the action of the peptide proctolin on the oviducal muscles of Locusta migratoria L. [ 3 H]DHE binding was inhibited by low concentrations (μM range) of octopamine, phentolamine, N-demethylchlordimeform (DCDM) and several dihydrooxadiazines. The tested dihydrooxadiazines acted as aminergic agonists in stimulating cyclic AMP production in cockroach nervous system homogenates and did not show additive effects with octopamine, whereas additivity was observed with 5-hydroxytryptamine. The relative potency of octopaminergic antagonists, including mianserin, cyproheptadine, phentolamine, and gramine, to block octopamine-mediated elevation of cyclic AMP production was similar to the rank-order potency of the same antagonists to inhibit dihydrooxadiazine-mediated elevation of cyclic AMP production. Octopamine, 2-(4-bromophenyl)-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3,4-oxadiazine (4-Br-PDHO), and 8-Br-cyclic AMP caused increased phosphorylation of proteins that are phosphorylated by exogenously added cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. These results indicate that the dihydrooxadiazine-induced rise in cyclic AMP levels in homogenates of the cockroach nervous system results directly in activation of an endogenous cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. 4-Br-PDHO behaved similarly to octopamine in modulating the action of proctolin-induced contractions in locust oviducal muscles. These observations suggest that dihydrooxadiazines act as octopamine agonists and have an octopaminergic action in modulating the action of proctolin. Thus, it is proposed that dihydrooxadiazines exert at least part of their insecticidal and miticidal actions through interaction with the octopaminergic system.

A novel action of highly specific acaricide; bifenazate as a synergist for a GABA-gated chloride channel of Tetranychus urticae [Acari: Tetranychidae].

Bifenazate is a very selective acaricide that controls the spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Bifenazate is the first example of a carbazate acaricide. Its mode of action remains unclear. Bifenazate and its active metabolite diazene induce paralysis in spider mites, suggesting that they may act on the nervous system. Here we have employed a homologue (TuGABAR) of RDL (Resistance to dieldrin), a subunit of ionotropic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, from T. urticae to investigate the action of bifenazate and its active metabolite diazene on this receptor function. Although neither acaricide showed a GABA agonist action, 30 μM of bifenazate or diazene significantly enhanced the GABA-induced response of TuGABAR in a dose-dependent manner, shifting the EC(50) of GABA from 24.8 μM to 4.83 μM and 10.8 μM, respectively. This action demonstrates a positive allosteric modulator effect of bifenazate on T. urticae GABA receptors. This synergistic action is likely the result of bifenazate binding to a site distinct from that of the GABA binding site causing a conformational change that affects the magnitude of the GABA response. Precisely how the observed GABA synergist action correlates with the acaricidal activity of bifenazate, if at all, has yet to be determined.

The discovery of bifenazate, a novel carbazate acaricide

A history of the discovery of the novel carbazate acaricide, bifenazate, is outlined. When a novel ortho-biphenyl substituted hydrazide compound showed acaricidal activity in the pesticide discovery screen, a small numberof analogs were made to confirm and explore acaricidal effects. An ortho-biphenylcarbazate analog gave significantly greater acaricidal activity. Thereafter, several hundred structurally-diverse biphenylsubstituted carbazate analogs were synthesized and evaluated in a bioassay with the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) in order to optimize the acaricidal activity. As a result of the optimization process, bifenazate, the analog with a methoxybiphenyl substituent to the terminal nitrogen atom of isopropyl carbazate, was selected for development and registration.