Zhijin Fan

Synthesis and biological activity evaluation of 1,2,3-thiadiazole derivatives as potential elicitors with highly systemic acquired resistance.

Elicitors provide a broad spectrum of systemic acquired resistance by altering the physical and physiological status of the host plants and, therefore, are among the most successful directions in modern pesticide development for plant protection. To develop a novel elicitor with highly systemic acquired resistance, two series of thiazole- and oxadiazole-containing thiadiazole derivatives were rationally designed and synthesized according to the principle of combination of bioactive substructures in this work. Their structures were characterized by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared (IR), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), or elemental analysis. Their potential systemic acquired resistance as an elicitor was also evaluated; bioassay results indicated that, among the 23 compounds synthesized, three compounds, 10a, 10d, and 12b, displayed better systemic acquired resistance than the positive control, tiadinil, a commercialized 1,2,3-thiadiazole-based elicitor. In addition, three other compounds, 10f, 12c, and 12j, exhibited a certain degree of fungus growth inhibition in vitro or in vivo. Our results demonstrated that, in combination of bioactive substructures is an interesting exploration for novel pesticide development, thiazole- and oxadiazole-containing thiadiazole derivatives are potential elicitors with good systemic acquired resistance.

Synthesis, crystal structure, and biological activity of 4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole-containing 1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazoles.

Heterocyclic compounds play an important role as the main sources of lead molecules of agrochemicals. Synthesis and biological activity of thiadiazole-containing 1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]-thiadiazoles were seldom reported. To find novel lead compounds with various biological activities, a series of 6-substituted-3-(4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazolyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadizoles were rationally designed and synthesized according to the principle of combinations of bioactive substructures by the condensation of 3-(4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazolyl)-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione with various carboxylic acids and phosphorus oxychloride. All newly synthesized compounds were identified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), electroionization mass spectrometry (EI/MS), and elementary analysis. The crystal structure of 3-(4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazolyl)-6-(4-methylphenyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadizole was determined by X-ray diffraction crystallography. In this crystal, two intermolecular hydrogen bonds (N2...H-C12 and N3...H-C13), a weak intermolecular interaction (S...S), and the weak ppi-ppi intermolecular interaction were observed. Fungicide screening indicated that all of the target compounds showed certain extent of growth inhibition against fungi tested. 3-(4-Methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazolyl)-6-n-propyl[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadizole and 3-(4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazolyl)-6-trichloromethyl[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadizole were found to have potential wide spectrum of fungicide activity. The median effective concentrations (EC(50)) detected for 3-(4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazolyl)-6-trichloromethyl[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadizole to six fungi were from 7.28 micromol/L against Pellicularia sasakii (Shirai) to 42.49 micromol/L against Alternaria solani . The results indicated that thiadiazole-containing 1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]-thiadiazoles were potential fungicide lead compounds.

Preparation of a bifunctional pyrazosulfuron-ethyl imprinted polymer with hydrophilic external layers by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and its application in the sulfonylurea residue analysis

A new bifunctional pyrazosulfuron-ethyl imprinted polymer was synthesized by the combination of molecular imprinting technology and living radical polymerization. In the synthesis, the pyrazosulfuron-ethyl imprinted polymer was obtained by the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization followed by grafting poly(glyceryl monomethacrylate) (pGMMA) by the post-RAFT polymerization. In this research, we used polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the polymeric porogen in order to increase the porosity of the material which is a new porogen application in the precipitation polymerization. The imprinted polymer has selectivity for the template and ability of humic acids exclusion which has shown the merits of molecularly imprinted polymers and restricted access materials. An online solid-phase extraction/HPLC method for the analysis of three sulfonylurea residues in soil samples has been developed and validated. The recovery of 81-99% in the spiked levels of 40-200 μg kg(-1) was obtained and the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were less than 4.8 and 15.9 μg kg(-1) respectively. The results demonstrated that this bifunctional material can be used for the efficient pyrazosulfuron-ethyl extraction in the sulfonylurea residue analysis from environmental samples.

Synthesis of 4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole derivatives via Ugi reaction and their biological activities.

The Ugi reaction is a green and rapid one-pot reaction for lead derivation. To develop novel candidate pesticides with diverse biological activities, two series of 4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole derivatives containing active substructures of 3-chloro-4-methylphenyl or 3-fluoro-4-methylphenyl, respectively, were rationally designed and synthesized via Ugi reaction according to the principle of combinations of bioactive substructures. All of the structures of newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Biological activities of the target compounds including fungicide activity, antivirus activity in vitro and in vivo, and systemic acquired resistance were evaluated systematically. The results indicated that derivatives containing 3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl and 2-methylphenyl possessed a potential wide spectrum of fungicidal activity. Derivatives containing 3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl and 4-hydroxyphenyl possessed good potential direct antivirus activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in vitro, and the replacement of Cl atom by F atom improved their direct inhibition activities against TMV in vitro. Derivatives containing phenyl, 2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl, 3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl, 3-nitrophenyl, 4-nitrophenyl, 2-methylphenyl, and 4-hydroxyphenyl possessed good potential bioactivities in vivo including protection, inactivation, curative, and induction activities against TMV. These studies indicate that the newly synthesized 4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole derivatives possessed good potential bioactivities, and a combination of bioactive substructures via Ugi reaction was an effective way to find bioactive compounds for novel pesticide development.

2-Hydroxypropyl derivatives of 1,2,3-thiadiazole and 1,2,3-triazole: Synthesis and antifungal activity*

A series of novel 5-(2-hydroxypropyl)amino-1,2,3-thiadiazole and 5-(2-hydroxy-propyl)sulfanyl-1,2,3-triazole derivatives were designed and synthesized as candidate fungicides. The new compounds were identified by NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. Their antifungal activities were evaluated.

The Natural Product Phyllanthusmin C Enhances IFN-γ Production by Human NK Cells through Upregulation of TLR-Mediated NF-κB Signaling

Natural products are a major source for cancer drug development. NK cells are a critical component of innate immunity with the capacity to destroy cancer cells, cancer-initiating cells, and clear viral infections. However, few reports describe a natural product that stimulates NK cell IFN-γ production and unravel a mechanism of action. In this study, through screening, we found that a natural product, phyllanthusmin C (PL-C), alone enhanced IFN-γ production by human NK cells. PL-C also synergized with IL-12, even at the low cytokine concentration of 0.1 ng/ml, and stimulated IFN-γ production in both human CD56bright and CD56dim NK cell subsets. Mechanistically, TLR1 and/or TLR6 mediated PL-C’s activation of the NF-κB p65 subunit that in turn bound to the proximal promoter of IFNG and subsequently resulted in increased IFN-γ production in NK cells. However, IL-12 and IL-15Rs and their related STAT signaling pathways were not responsible for the enhanced IFN-γ secretion by PL-C. PL-C induced little or no T cell IFN-γ production or NK cell cytotoxicity. Collectively, we identify a natural product with the capacity to selectively enhance human NK cell IFN-γ production. Given the role of IFN-γ in immune surveillance, additional studies to understand the role of this natural product in prevention of cancer or infection in select populations are warranted.

5-Methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazoles Synthesized via Ugi Reaction and Their Fungicidal and Antiviral Activities

1,2,3-Thiadiazoles, an important synthetic active substructure, are nowadays becoming one of the important branches in novel pesticide development. To develop pesticide candidates with diverse biological activities and probe their structure-activity relationship, three series of 5-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazoles were rationally designed and synthesized using a simple and convenient one-step synthetic procedure via Ugi reaction. Biological activities of the target compounds including fungicidal activity, antivirus activity in vitro and in vivo, and systemic acquired resistance were systematically evaluated. The results indicated that compound III(10) showed broad-spectrum of activities against most fungi tested, and compounds I(10) and II(17) showed excellent potential antivirus activities as compared to positive control agent ribavirin. The preliminary structure-activity relationship was also discussed. The results of these studies indicated that the 5-position-substituted 1,2,3-thiadiazoles exhibited good antivirus activity and were worthy of further study in pesticide development.

Synthesis and biological activity of organotin 4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole-5-carboxylates and benzo[1,2,3]thiadiazole-7-carboxylates.

A series of organotin 4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole-5-carboxylates and benzo[1,2,3]thiadiazole-7-carboxylates have been synthesized and characterized by NMR ((1)H, (13)C, and (119)Sn), IR, and elemental analyses. The structure of the dimeric complex {[(BTHCO(2))SnEt(2)](2)O}(2) (BTH represents benzo[1,2,3]thiadiazol-7-yl) has been further confirmed by X-ray diffraction crystallography. Assessment for fungicidal activity indicates that all of the newly synthesized compounds exhibit good growth inhibition against Alternaria solani , Cercospora arachidicola , Gibberella zeae , Physalospora piricola , and Botrytis cinerea . High growth inhibition percentage at 50 microg/mL was obtained in vitro in the case of triorganotin 4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole-5-carboxylates and benzo[1,2,3]thiadiazole-7-carboxylates. The corresponding EC(50) values of these triorganotin carboxylates have been detected, and values of EC(50) as low as 0.12 microg/mL against P. piricola and 0.16 microg/mL against G. zeae, respectively, were observed for triethyltin benzo[1,2,3]thiadiazole-7-carboxylate.

Novel Anthranilic Diamide Insecticides: Design, Synthesis, and Insecticidal Evaluation

Three series of new anthranilic diamide derivatives containing sulfide, N-cyanomethylsulfilimine, and N-cyanomethylsulfoximine groups were designed and synthesized by coupling the active substructures of anthranilic diamides and sulfoxaflor. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, 1H and 13C NMR, and elemental analysis. Several unique structural characteristics were revealed via the crystal structure analysis of compound N-(2-(2-methyl-2-(methylthio)propylcarbamoyl)-4-chloro-6-methylphenyl)-3-bromo-1-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxamide 16e. Bioassay results indicated that most of the synthesized compounds showed superior insecticidal activities against Mythimna separata and Plutella xylostella when compared with the positive control cyantraniliprole. In particular, N-(2-(2-methyl-2-(N-cyanomethylsulfideimino)propylcarbamoyl)-4-chloro-6-methylphenyl)-3-bromo-1-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxamide 17e showed excellent insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata, with a mortality rate of 100 % at a concentration of 1 µg mL–1. These results indicated that sulfide, N-cyanomethylsulfilimine, and N-cyanomethylsulfoximine moieties, as important active substructures, could improve or maintain the activity of the anthranilic diamide and promote novel pesticide development.

Preparation of a Pyrazosulfuron-Ethyl Imprinted Polymer with Hydrophilic External Layers by Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Precipitation and Grafting Polymerization

A new imprinted polymer with both functions of molecular recognition and macromolecule exclusion was synthesized for selective extraction of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl and removal of humic acids in environmental analysis. In the preparation, spherical pyrazosulfuron-ethyl imprinted polymers were synthesized by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization. The hydrophilic polymer layers were then grafted on the surface of the imprinted polymer microspheres using post-RAFT polymerization. The conditions that influence the selectivity, size, and uniformity of the imprinted microspheres were studied systematically. The computer simulation was employed to study the template-monomer interaction. The solubility parameters of poly(MAA-co-EDMA) and porogen were calculated to investigate the relationship between the particle size and the solubility parameter. The results indicated that the pyrazosulfuron-ethyl imprinted polymers have special affinity for the template and several structurally related sulfonylurea herbicides. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with external hydrophilic chains not only had function of template retention, but also better function of protein/humic acid exclusion. This research demonstrates that multifunctional imprinted material with a narrow size distribution can be prepared by the RAFT polymerization.