Thomas Paul Selby

Discovery of cyantraniliprole, a potent and selective anthranilic diamide ryanodine receptor activator with cross-spectrum insecticidal activity

Anthranilic diamides are an exceptionally active class of insect control chemistry that selectively activates insect ryanodine receptors causing mortality from uncontrolled release of calcium ion stores in muscle cells. Work in this area led to the successful commercialization of chlorantraniliprole for control of Lepidoptera and other insect pests at very low application rates. In search of lower logP analogs with improved plant systemic properties, exploration of cyano-substituted anthranilic diamides culminated in the discovery of a second product candidate, cyantraniliprole, having excellent activity against a wide range of pests from multiple insect orders. Here we report on the chemistry, biology and structure-activity trends for a series of cyanoanthranilic diamides from which cyantraniliprole was selected for commercial development.

A retrospective look at anthranilic diamide insecticides: discovery and lead optimization to chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole

Anthranilic diamides are an important commercial synthetic class of insecticides (IRAC Group 28) that bind to the ryanodine receptor with selective potency against insect versus mammalian forms of the receptor. The first commercialized diamide, chlorantraniliprole, has exceptional activity against lepidopteran pests. The second anthranilamide product, cyantraniliprole, has excellent cross-spectrum activity against a range of insect orders, including both lepidopteran and hemipteran pests. Here, a retrospective look is presented on the discovery of the class, along with chemistry highlights of the lead evolution to both products.

Synthetic atpenin analogs: Potent mitochondrial inhibitors of mammalian and fungal succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase.

Atpenins and harzianopyridone represent a unique class of penta-substituted pyridine-based natural products that are potent inhibitors of complex II (succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase) in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. These compounds block electron transfer in oxidative phosphorylation by inhibiting oxidation of succinate to fumarate and the coupled reduction of ubiquinone to ubiquinol. From our investigations of complex II inhibitors as potential agricultural fungicides, we report here on the synthesis and complex II inhibition for a series of synthetic atpenin analogs against both mammalian and fungal forms of the enzyme. Synthetic atpenin 2e provided optimum mammalian and fungal inhibition with slightly higher potency than natural occurring atpenin A5.