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The diamide insecticides show exceptional activity against

Pests are one of the major factors causing crop damage and food security problems worldwide. Based on our previous studies on the discovery of insecticidal leads targeting the ryanodine receptors (RyRs), a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) model was established to design and synthesize a series of anthranilic diamides containing a halogenated phenyl 3-trifluoroethoxypyrazole moiety. The preliminary bioassays disclosed that

Diamide compounds such as chlorantraniliprole, a famous anthranilic diamide insecticide targeting the insect ryanodine receptor (RyR), have received continuous attention in pesticide research during the past 15 years owing to their excellent insecticidal potentials. With the aim of discovering new heterocyclic pesticides used for crop protection, based on the structural information of compound M from the reported pharmacophore-based virtual screening for RyR insecticides and diamide compound, a series of new heterocyclic mono-, di-, and tri-amide derivatives containing piperazine moiety have been synthesized in this paper. The new compounds were identified and confirmed by melting point, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. Compound M was firstly validated for insecticidal activities, and the new synthesized compounds were all made comprehensive insecticidal evaluations against diamondback moth and oriental armyworm. The bioassay results showed that some of the compounds exhibit favorable insecticidal potentials, particularly some novel piperazine-containing heterocyclic mono-/di-/tri-amide derivatives such as 8g, 14a, 15a, 15g, 15i, 15j, 15k, 15l, and 15m could be used as new insecticidal leading structures for further study (e.g., towards diamondback moth, 15i-15m LC50: 0.0022−0.0081 mg/L). The structure-activity relationships of the compounds discussed in detail provide useful guidance for further design and development of new insecticides.

Insect ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are molecular targets of the anthranilic diamide insecticides. In the present study, a new series of anthranilic diamides containing a cyanophenyl pyrazole moiety were rationally designed by active-fragment assembly and computer-aided design using the 3D structure of

A series of novel anthranilic diamides analogues(9a–9t) containing trifluoroethoxyl pyrazole moiety was designed and synthesized and their insecticidal bioactivities against Mythimna separata(Walker, M. separata) and Plutellaxylostella (P. xylostella) were evaluated. The structures of the title compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. Preliminary insecticidal activities showed that some of the title compounds possessed good to excellent bioactivities towards M. separata and P. xylostella. Compounds 9c and 9t exhibited 100% mortality rate against M. separate at 0.2 mg/L. For the P. xylostella, the synthesized compounds(9c–9e, 9i and 9o) showed 70%, 80%, 75 %, 65% and 60% insecticidal activities at 1×10−6 mg/L, respectively, higher than that of chlorantraniliprole(0). Based on excellent insecticidal activities, the mode of the action was tested by the calcium-imaging technique, the results of which demonstrated that the novel compounds shared the same target with chlorantraniliprole. The binding pose of the most active compound 9t in RyRs of P. xylostella was predicted by molecular docking, which showed that compound 9t interacted with the residues Glu140(A) and His147(A) via hydrogen bond.

In order to find a new variety of ryanodine receptor(RyR) regulator with greater biological activity, a series of anthranilic diamide derivatives possessing pyrrole structure was designed and synthesized in this study. The pyrrole derivatives were evaluated for their insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata and Plutella xylostella. As indicated by the preliminary biological activities, compounds 12h–12j and 12l–12n exhibited a remarkable insecticidal activity against M. separata at 0.25 mg/L. Compared to control chlorantraniliprole, compound 12j exhibited more excellent insecticidal activity at 0.1 mg/L. Meanwhile, compounds 12c, 12h, 12i, 12j, 12l, and 12m were selected to test the insecticidal activity against P. xylostella, which led to the desirable insecticidal activity at 1×10−3 mg/L. Notably, compound 12l demonstrated 47% insecticidal activity at 5×10−6 mg/L over the control. In addition, the biological mechanism of action of compound 12j was investigated by means of insect electrophysiology experiment.

To cope with the global food shortage and insect pest, there is an urgent need to discover new pesticides with novel modes of actions. Ryanodine receptor (RyR) insecticides showed great promise in ...

A series of novel phenylpyrazole carboxylic acid derivatives containing fluorine moiety, i.e., diamides 11, simple aryl-bearing amides 12 and acylthioureas 14 were successfully synthesized based on the key fluoro-containing phenylpyrazole acid intermediate. The new compounds were identified and confirmed by melting point, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and elemental analysis or HRMS. The bioassay results indicated that some of the compounds possessed excellent insecticidal activities towards oriental armyworm, diamondback moth and corn borer at low concentrations. For examples, compounds 11a, 11e−g and 14b exhibited remarkable larvicidal activities with LC50 values of 0.13 − 0.39 mg/L and 0.0002 − 0.0014 mg/L against oriental armyworm and diamondback moth, respectively, were comparable with those of the control chlorantraniliprole. Particularly, 11e were found superior to chlorantraniliprole in oriental armyworm tests (LC50: 0.23 mg/L vs. 0.26 mg/L); 11a, 11e, 11f and 14c in diamondback moth tests with LC50 values of 0.0002 mg/L, 0.0002 mg/L, 0.0008 mg/L and 0.0005 mg/L, respectively, were more effective than that of chlorantraniliprole. In addition, 12a also showed a promising insecticidal potential and development/optimization advantage. Compounds 11a, 11e–g, 12a, 14b and 14c could be considered as possible new leading structures for further study. The SAR investigation indicated that the compounds with fluorine motif (e.g., -F, -CF2H, -CF3) held apparently favorable insecticidal potentials, which provided useful guidance for further design/development of new phenylpyrazole-containing agrochemicals.

In order to systematically study the structure-activity relationship of anthranilic diamides and develop insecticides with simple structure and high efficiency, a series of novel anthranilic diamides containing N-H/CH3-1H-pyrazole was designed and synthesized. Their chemical structures were characterized by 1H NMR spectra, high resolution mass spectrometry(HRMS) or 13C NMR spectra. The preliminary bioassay results indicated that all title compounds displayed moderate insecticidal activity against oriental armyworm(Mythimna separata) at 200 mg/L and fungicidal activities against six kinds of fungi at 50 mg/L, especially compound 5i showed 50% insecticidal activity at 25 mg/L. In addition, some compounds exhibited certain antitumor activities. It was demonstrated that the introduction of CH3 group into pyrazole ring was superior to H for the insecticidal activity.

Fluorinated organic compounds represent a growing and important family of commercial chemicals. Introduction of fluorine into active ingredients has become an effective way to develop modern crop protection products. Given the particular properties of fluorine and high efficiency and selectivity of diamide insecticides, we designed and synthesized 27 anthranilic diamides analogues containing fluoro-sustituted phenylpyrazole. A preliminary bioassay indicated that most target compounds exhibited good biological activity against Mythimna separata and Plutella xylostella. Compound IIIf containing a 2,4,6-trifluoro-substituted benzene ring showed 43% insecticidal activity against M. separata at 0.1 mg L-1, while the control chlorantraniliprole was 36%. The activity of IIIe against P. xylostella at 10-5 mg L-1 was 94%, compared with that of the control being 70%. Thus, introduction of fluorine into diamide insecticides was useful for increasing activity. Insect electrophysiology studies showed that the calcium concentration in the nerve cells of third M. separata larvae was elevated by IIIf, which further confirmed that ryanodine receptor (RyR) was its potential target.

Due to new mechanism of action and ecofriendly characteristics, dicarboxamide insecticides have attracted more and more attentions in modern pest management. A series of 20 dual chiral N-cyano sulfilimines containing two centers (carbon and sulfur) were designed and synthesized. All title compounds were determined by 1H NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and optical polarimeter. The preliminary results indicated that some of them exhibited favourable insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (Pseudaletia separata Walker). These isomers exhibited different impact on activity following the sequence as (Sc, Ss) ≥ (Sc, Rs), and the rule of title compounds’ activity against oriental armyworm was 3-CF3 ≥ 2 CH3 4 Cl >2, 3, 4-trifluro in the anilide moiety. The results indicated that these groups such as 3-CF3, 2 CH3 4 Cl or 2, 3, 4-trifluro were inefficient to replace heptafluoroisopropyl group for high larvicidal activity, which provided some guidance for the further modifications of sulfiliminyl dicarboxamides.

In order to search for novel potent and environmentally benign insecticides, a series of anthranilic diamides containing various fluorinated groups were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, 19 F NMR, elemental analysis, HRMS or mass spectra. Their insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm ( Mythimna separata ) and diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ) were evaluated. The preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) was discussed in detail. The biological assay indicated that most of the compounds exhibited moderate to excellent insecticidal activities. Especially, Ia showed high larvicidal activity against oriental armyworm. Meanwhile, Iu had better larvicidal effects against diamondback moth than commercial chlorantraniliprole.

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) activator has become one class of popular insecticide because of its unique mode of action. In order to find more new RyRs activators as insecticidal agents, a series of 18 novel chiral anthranilic diamides were designed by introducing the d -alanine acid and d -serine acid esters as well as trifluoroethoxyl group into the anthranilic diamide skeleton and synthesized successfully based on anthranilic diamide and FKI-1033 structures. The structures of the title compounds Ia–i and IIa–i were confirmed by melting points, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, elemental analysis and specific optical rotation analysis. The preliminary bioassay results indicated that most of the title compounds exhibited considerable larvicidal activities against oriental armyworm at 10 mg/L, especially Ib, Ie and IIh showed remarkable insecticidal activities at 0.5 mg/L. The larvicidal activity against diamondback moth of Ia and IId were 80% and 90% respectively at 0.0001 mg/L, which was similar to that of chlorantraniliprole. The relationship between structure and insecticidal activity was analyzed to reveal a possible co-regulated effect of the chiral amino acid ester, halogen atom or cyano group, and trifluoroethyloxyl group of the skeleton structures of the title compounds, which will provide useful information for guiding the design and discovery of new RyRs activators and insecticidal agrochemicals.

In order to discover potential ryanodine receptor insecticides, 21 novel anthranilic diamides analogues (C, D, E, and F) containing amide, carbamate, urea, and thiourea moieties were designed and synthesized based on bioisosteric approach. The biological assays against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) indicated that these compounds displayed moderate to excellent activities. Especially, compound D1 showed 100% larvicidal activities against oriental armyworm at 1.0 mg•L−1, equivalent to the standard chlorantraniliprole (100%, 1.0 mg•L−1). Moreover, the larvicidal activity of D1 against diamondback moth was 100% at 0.1 mg•L−1, more effective than that of chlorantraniliprole (90%, 0.1 mg•L−1). Therefore, D1 can be used as a new lead structure for the development of insecticidal agents. The preliminary structure-activity relationship showed that the introduction od carbamate groups into 4-position on the benzene ring of the N-phenylpyrazole moiety has a positive effect on the larvicidal activities.

In order to search for potent and environmental friendly insecticides with new modes of action, a series of pyranoside derivatives mimicking D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) were designed and synthesized according to the bioisosteric approach. The biological assay indicated that most of the new compounds showed moderate to good insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella). Especially, compound 5g displayed 80% larvicidal activity against oriental armyworm at 50 mg/L. Meanwhile, 5a showed 100% and 70% larvicidal activities against diamondback moth at 50 and 25 mg/L, respectively. To further explore the mode of action, calcium imaging technique was applied to study the effects of 5a, 5g, and 5i on the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) in central neurons isolated from Spodoptera exigua. The results indicated that the tested compounds released stored calcium ions from endoplasmic reticulum.

To discover potent insecticides targeting ryanodine receptors (RyRs), a series of novel anthranilic diamides analogues (12a-12u) containing N-substituted phenylpyrazole were designed and synthesized. These compounds were characterized by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and HRMS, and the structure of compound 12u was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Their insecticidal activities indicated that these compounds displayed moderate to excellent activities. In particular, 12i showed 100 and 37% larvicidal activities against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) at 0.25 and 0.05 mg L(-1), equivalent to that of chlorantraniliprole (100%, 0.25 mg L(-1); and 33%, 0.05 mg L(-1)). The activity of 12i against diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) was 95% at 0.05 mg L(-1), whereas the control was 100% at 0.05 mg L(-1). The calcium-imaging technique experiment results showed that the effects of 12i on the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) in neurons were concentration-dependent. After the central neurons of Helicoverpa armigera were dyed by loading with fluo-5N and treated with 12i, the free calcium released in endoplasmic reticulum indicated the target of compound 12i is RyRs or IP3Rs. The activation of RyRs by natural ryanodine completely blocked the calcium release induced by 12i, which indicated that RyRs in the central neurons of H. armigera third-instar larvae is the possible target of compound 12i.

Anthranilic diamides are one of the most important classes of modern agrochemical insecticides. To discover new structures with higher activity, lower toxicity and lower residue, a series of novel anthranilic diamides containing dihydroisoxazoline and isoxazole was designed and synthesized. Their structures were characterized by means of melting points, proton nuclear magnetic resonance(1H NMR), 13C NMR and high resolution mass spectrometry(HRMS). According to the bioassay data, it was found that some of the title compounds exhibit moderate insecticidal activity and good antifungal activity. In particularly, compound 15b with a concentration of 50 mg/L shows a lethality rate of 60.0% against Mythimna separata Walker and a lethality rate of 50.0% against Culex pipiens pallens with a concentration of 1 mg/L. Moreover, compound 15b showed good antifungal activities(58.8%, 77.1%, 70.7%, 55.3%, 60.7%, 65.4%) when against all the tested fungi(Cercospora arachidicola Hori, Physalospora piricola, Rhizoctonia cerealis, Bipolaris maydis, Watermelon anthracnose, Fusarium moniliforme). The effects of compounds 14h, 14j and 15b on the concentration of intracellular calcium ion([Ca2+]i) in the central neurons of Mythimna separate Walker were well investigated via calcium imaging technique. The results demonstrate that the novel compounds can elevate the calcium concentration in the neurons, denoting that some new structures are potential modulators of the insect ryanodine receptor(RyR).

To search for new environmentally benign insecticides with high activity, low toxicity, and low residue, novel chiral configurations introduced into dicarboxamide scaffolds containing N-cyano sulfiliminyl moieties were first studied. Four series of phthalamides with sulfur-containing side chains were designed, synthesized, and evaluated against oriental armyworm (Pseudaletia separata Walker) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella (L.)) for their insecticidal activities. All structures were characterized by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and HRMS (or elemental analysis), and their configurations were confirmed by optical polarimetry. The biological assessment indicated that some title compounds exhibited significant insecticidal activities. For oriental armyworm, these stereoisomers exerted different impacts on biological activity following the sequence (Sc, Ss) ≥ (Sc, Rs) ≫ (Rc, Ss)(Rc, Rs), and carbon chirality influenced the activities more strongly than sulfur. Compounds Ia and IIa reached as high an activity as commercial flubendiamide, with LC50 values of 0.0504 and 0.0699 mg L(-1), respectively, lower than that of flubendiamide (0.1230 mg L(-1)). For diamondback moth, the sequence of activity was (Sc, Ss)(Sc, Rs), and the sulfur chirality influenced the activities more greatly than carbon. Compound IIe exhibited even higher activity than flubendiamide, whereas Ie and Ic,d reached the activity of the latter. The results indicated that the improvement of insecticidal activity probably required a coordination of both carbon and sulfur chirality. Comparative molecular field analysis calculation indicated that stereoisomers with Sc configurations containing strong electron-withdrawing groups such as as CN are important in maintaining the high activity. The chiral scaffolds containing the N-cyano sulfiliminyl moiety are also essential for high larvicidal activity. Some title compounds could be considered as potential candidates for ryanodine receptor activators.

On the basis of the structures of chlorfenapyr and dioxapyrrolomycin, a series of 2-benzylpyrroles with a hydroxyl, an alkyloxy, an acyloxy, an alkylsulfanyl, or an oxime moiety at the α-position of benzyl were designed and synthesized. Their insecticidal, acaricidal, and fungicidal activities were extensively investigated. The structure-activity relationship showed that benzylpyrroles bearing shorter α-alkyloxy groups gave better activities against most of the insect species; the alkylation of pyrrole usually gave increased activity. Among all compounds, (4-bromo-2-(α-(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)-4-chlorobenzyl)-1-(ethoxymethyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile) (5'j) exhibited the most outstanding insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (IC₅₀=10 mg L⁻¹), diamondback moth (0.07 mg L⁻¹), corn borer (50 mg L⁻¹), and mosquito (0.04 mg L⁻¹), which are very close to those of chlorfenapyr (5, 0.08,25, and0.025 mg L⁻¹, respectively). In addition, some compounds also exhibited a broad or selective fungicidal spectrum.

Due to a novel mode action, low toxicity to mammals and low residue characteristics, phthalic acid diamides have aroused considerable interests in agricultural chemistry. With introduction of N-cyano, N-trifluoroacetyl, N-carbamoylsulfiliminyl and sulfoximinyl substituents into phthalamides, 12 novel derivatives containing trifluoromethyl moiety were designed and synthesized. All title compounds were characterized by 1H NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The preliminary results of biological activity assessment indicated that some title compounds exhibited moderate to good insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (Pseudaletia separata Walker). In particular, Va gave higher activity against oriental armyworm and diamondback moth. The present work reported that the new trifluoromethylated diamides incorporating N-trifluoroacetylsulfoximinyl moieties are potential lead compounds for further structure optimization, providing some insight into the relating structure-activity relationship.

Two series of novel anthranilic diamides containing oxime ester and diacylhydrazine moieties were designed and synthesized. Their structures were characterized by melting points, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and high resolution mass spectrometry(HRMS). The single crystal structure of compound 7e was determined by X-ray diffraction and their evaluated insecticidal activity against oriental armyworm(Mythimna separata) indicates that some of the compounds exhibited moderate insecticidal activities. Among the 20 compounds, 6a and 6b show 100% larvicidal activity against Mythimna separate Walker at the test concentration of 100 mg/L.

On the basis of the commercial insecticide chlorantraniliprole, a series of novel N-pyridylpyrazolecarboxamides containing an amino acid methyl ester and their analogues were designed and synthesized. Their chemical structures were established on the basis of corresponding (1) H NMR spectroscopy, (13)C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The insecticidal activities of the new compounds against oriental armyworm ( Mythimna separata ) and diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ) were evaluated. The results of bioassays indicated that most of the compounds showed moderate to high activities at the tested concentration, of which the compounds 6 containing a methyl acrylate substructure had excellent larvicidal activity; for example, 6a displayed 100% larvicidal activity against P. xylostella at the concentration of 0.005 mg/L, whereas the activities of both compounds 6g and 6h against M. separata were 100% at 2.5 mg/L. The calcium imaging technique experiment results showed that novel compound 6 could elevate the calcium concentration in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, this study also provided evidence that compound 6h activates inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) sensitive intracellular calcium release channels in the endoplasmic reticulum of Spodoptera exigua third-instar larva neurons.

A series of novel anthranilic diamides containing N-substituted arylmethyl moieties was designed and synthesized, in which the bond distance and conjugation pattern between pyrazole and pyridine rings contained in Chlorantraniliprole were changed. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, IR, elemental analysis or high resolution mass spectromentry(HRMS), and the conformation of compound 4d was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The preliminary bioassay results indicate that all the target compounds exhibited moderate insecticidal activity against oriental armyworm at 200 mg/L and some of them presented favorable antitumor activities against human lung cancer cells(A549), liver cancer cells(Bel7402) and colon cancer cells(HCT-8) in vitro by microculture tetrazolium(MTT) method, among which compound 6j afforded the best anti-proliferative activity at 5 μg/mL.

On the basis of complex I receptor protein binding site and commercial tebufenpyrad and tolfenpyrad, four series of novel pyrazole-5-carboxamides containing imine, oxime ether, oxime ester, and dihydroisoxazoline were designed and synthesized via the key intermediate 4-chloro-3-ethyl-N-(4-formylbenzyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxamide. The structures of target compounds were confirmed by ¹H NMR and high-resolution mass spectrum (HRMS). The results of bioassays indicated that the target compounds possessed good-to-excellent activities against a broad spectrum of insects such as cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), spider mite (Tetranychus cinnabarinus), bean aphid (Aphis craccivora), and mosquito (Culex pipiens pallens), but gave different structure-activity relationships for each species. Compounds containing imine showed high insecticidal activity against cotton bollworm. Especially, stomach activity of compounds 5-1c was 60% at 11 mg kg⁻¹. The compounds also had good activities against bean aphid and mosquito. The foliar contact activity of compounds 5-1a, 5-1b, 5-1e, 5-3c, and 5-3d against bean aphid were 90, 100, 90, 90, and 90%, respectively, at 200 mg kg⁻¹. The activity of compound containing dihydroisoxazoline moiety (5-4) against mosquito was 60% at 1 mg kg⁻¹, which was near that of tebufenpyrad. The introduction of dihydroisoxazoline structure (5-4) was advantageous to improve the activity of the compound against adult mites compared with other structures; the miticidal activity of 5-4- against adult mites was 60% at 50 mg kg⁻¹.

A series of novel anthranilic diamides analogues containing benzo[b]thiophenyl ring was designed and synthesized. Their structures were characterized by melting points, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance(1H NMR) and high-resolution mass spectrometry(HRMS). The bioassay tests indicate that their insecticidal activities were weak to moderate. Antibacterial tests indicate that some of the compounds showed favourable activity in vitro against Physalospora piricola, Alternaria solani, Cercospora arachidicola, Gibberella sanbinetti and Phytophthora infestans at a dosage of 50 mg/L.

Anthranilic diamides are one of the most important classes of modern agricultural insecticides. To discover new structure-modified compounds with high activity, series of novel carbonyl thioureas, carbonyl ureas, oxadiazoles, carbonyl thiophosphorylureas, oxadiazole-containing amides, and thiazoline-containing amides were designed through the modification of the amide bridge based on the structure of chlorantraniliprole and were synthesized, and bioassays were carried out. The compounds were characterized and confirmed by melting point, IR, (1)H NMR, and elemental analyses or HRMS. Preliminary bioassays indicated that some compounds exhibited significant insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm, diamondback moth, beet armyworm, corn borer, and mosquito. Among them, trifluoroethoxyl-containing carbonyl thiourea 20a showed best larvicidal activity against oriental armyworm, with LC50 and LC95 values of 0.1812 and 0.7767 mg/L, respectively. Meanwhile, 20c and 20e showed 86 and 57% death rates against diamondback moth at 0.005 mg/L, and the LC50 values of the two compounds were 0.0017 and 0.0023 mg/L, respectively, which were lower than that of the control chlorantraniliprole. The relationship between structure and insecticidal activity was discussed, and the HF calculation results indicated that the carbonyl thiourea moiety plays an important role in the insecticidal activity. The present work demonstrated that the trifluoroethoxyl-containing carbonyl thioureas can be used as lead compounds for further development of novel insecticides.

In search of environmentally benign insecticides with high activity, low toxicity and low residue, a series of novel anthranilic diamide derivatives containing N-pyridylpyrazole was designed and synthesized. All the compounds were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The single crystal structure of compound 8j was determined by X-ray diffraction. The insecticidal activities of the new compounds were evaluated. The results show that some compounds exhibited moderate insecticidal activities against Lepidoptera pests. Among this series of compounds, compounds 8o and 8p showed 100% larvicidal activity against Mythimna separate Walker, Plutella xylostella Linnaeus and Laphygma exigua Hubner at a test concentration of 200 mg/kg, which is equal to the commercial chlorantraniliprole.

On the basis of the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) protein binding site for diflubenzuron and glibenclamide, 15 new benzoylphenylureas containing amide and sulfonate groups were designed and synthesized. Their structures were characterized by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and elemental analysis [or high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)]. The larvicidal activities of the new compounds against oriental armyworm and diamondback moth were evaluated. Compound II-3 showed nearly the same level of insecticidal activity against oriental armyworm as commercial insecticide flucycloxuron and, thus, emerged as a new lead compound for the development of new benzoylurea insecticides.

A novel series of amides containing N-pyridylpyrazole were designed and synthesized. All of the compounds were characterized and confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The single crystal structure of 9d was determined by X-ray diffraction. The bioassay tests showed that the title compounds exhibited good insecticidal activities against Mythimna separata Walker, diamondback moth and Laphygma exigua Hubner.

In search of environmentally benign insecticides with high activity, low toxicity and low residue, a series of novel anthranilic diamides containing allyl ether were designed and synthesized. All the compounds were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, HRMS or elemental analysis. The single crystal structure of 18e was determined by X-ray diffraction. The insecticidal activities of the new compounds were evaluated. The results showed that some compounds exhibited excellent insecticidal activities against Lepidoptera pests. Among this series compounds, 18l showed 100 % larvicidal activity against Mythimna separate Walker and Plutella xylostella Linnaeus at the test concentration.

Two series of novel anthranilic diamide insecticide containing trifluoroethyl ether were designed and synthesized, and their structures were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The insecticidal activities of the new compounds were evaluated. The results of bioassays indicated that some of these title compounds exhibited excellent insecticidal activities. The insecticidal activities of compounds 19a, 19b, 19d, 19g, 19k and 19m against oriental armyworm at 2.5 mg·kg−1 were 100%. The larvicidal activities of 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d, 19e, 19g and 19n against diamond-back moth were 100% at 0.1 mg·kg−1. Surprisingly, most of them still exhibited perfect insecticidal activity against diamond-back moth when the concentration was reduced to 0.05 mg·kg−1, which was higher than the commercialized Chlorantraniliprole.

Two series of anthranilic diamides containing acylthiourea and acylurea linkers were designed and synthesized, with changed length and flexibility of the linkers to compare to known anthranilic diamide insecticides. In total, 26 novel compounds were synthesized, and all compounds were characterized by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Their insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata), mosquito larvae (Culex pipiens pallens), and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) were evaluated. The larvicidal activities against oriental armyworm indicated that the introduction of acylthiourea into some structures could retain their insecticidal activity; 8 of the 15 compounds (13a-13e, 14a-14e, and 15a-15e) exhibited 100% larvicidal activity at 10 mg/L. However, the introduction of acylurea decreased the insecticidal activity; only 3 of the 11 compounds (17a-17k) exhibited 100% larvicidal activity at 200 mg/L. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique indicated that compound 13b and chlorantraniliprole exhibited similar effects on the voltage-gated calcium channel. The calcium-imaging technique was also applied to investigate the effects of compounds 13b and 15a on the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), which indicated that they released stored calcium ions from endoplasmic reticulum. Experimental results denoted that several new compounds are potential activators of the insect ryanodine receptor (RyR).

In search of environmentally benign compounds with high biological activity, low toxicity and low resistance, 8 novel benzoyl hydrazines containing pyrazole were designed and synthesized. All compounds were characterized by 1H NMR spectra and HRMS. The preliminary results of biological activity assessment indicated that most of title compounds exhibited certain insecticidal activities against Mythimna separata Walker at 200 mg·L−1 but excellent fungicidal activities against six fungus at 50 mg·L−1, which were better than the control.

A series of novel N-pyridylpyrazole carbonyl thioureas were designed and synthesized. Their structures were characterized by melting points, 1H NMR, IR and elemental analysis or HRMS. The bioassay tests indicated that some of these compounds exhibited moderate insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata Walker and Culex pipiens pallens. Among 17 compounds, 5n and 5p showed 100% larvicidal activity against Mythimna separata Walker at the test concentration of 100 mg/L.

On the basis of commercial insecticides tebufenpyrad and tolfenpyrad, two series of novel pyrazole-5-carboxamides containing α-hydroxymethyl-N-benzyl or α-chloromethyl-N-benzyl and pyrazoles containing 4,5-dihydrooxazole moieties were designed and synthesized via the key intermediate 2-amino-1-(4-substituted) phenyl ethanol. The structures of target compounds were confirmed by (1)H NMR and elemental analysis or high-resolution mass spectrum (HRMS), and their activities against cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), bean aphid (Aphis craccivora), mosquito (Culex pipiens pallens), and spider mite (Tetranychus cinnabarinus) were tested. The results of bioassays indicated that compounds containing α-chloromethyl-N-benzyl and compounds containing 4,5-dihydrooxazole showed high insecticidal activity against cotton bollworm. Especially, stomach activities of compounds Ij, Il, and IIe were 60% at 5 mg kg(-1). Moreover, the target compounds exhibited high selectivity between cotton bollworm and diamondback moth, although both of them belong to the order Lepidoptera. Although the activities against diamondback moth were at a low level, some of the target compounds exhibited antifeedant activity. The compounds also had good activities against bean aphid, mosquito, and spider mite. The foliar contact activity of compounds Ic, Id, Ie, and IIf against bean aphid were 95, 95, 100, and 95%, respectively, at 200 mg kg(-1). The miticidal and ovicidal activities of compound IIi against spider mite were both 95% at 200 mg kg(-1). Furthermore, a trivial change at 4-position of pyrazole ring would lead to great changes in properties and activities, which can easily be deduced by comparing the activities of compounds in series I (4-chloro-pyrazole compounds) with corresponding compounds in series II (4-hydro-pyrazole compounds), especially from the miticidal and ovicidal activities of Ii and IIi against spider mite.

In order to look for novel insecticides containing N-pyridylpyrazole, ten novel pyrazolecarboxamides containing different ortho-substituents in the aniline part were synthesized, and their structures were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. The single crystal structure of10bwas determined by X-ray diffraction. Their evaluated insecticidal activity against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) indicated that all the compounds exhibited moderate insecticidal activities.

Twenty-two new benzoylphenylureas containing isoxazoline and the isoxazole group were designed and synthesized, and their structures were characterized by (1)H NMR and elemental analysis (or HRMS). The larvicidal activities against Oriental armyworm, mosquito, and diamondback moth of the new compounds were evaluated. Compounds I-1 and III-1 showed nearly the same level of insecticidal activity against Oriental armyworm as commercial insecticide Flucycloxuron and surprisingly exhibited much higher larvicidal activities against diamondback moth than Flucycloxuron.

Enormous numbers of synthetic fluorine-containing compounds have been widely used in a variety of fields, especially in drug and pesticide design. To find novel insect growth regulators, a series of benzoylphenylureas with fluorinated substituents were designed and synthesized. The results of larvicidal activities of those novel fluoro-substituted benzoylphenylureas against oriental armyworm and mosquito revealed that most compounds exhibited excellent activities. It is worth mentioning that compounds 3 and 6 exhibited higher activities against oriental armyworm and mosquito than commercial Hexaflumuron. It can be further seen that the insecticidal activities would increase significantly by introducing fluorinated substituents into the structure of the designed benzoylphenylureas.

In order to look for novel insecticides targeting the ryanodine receptor, four new series of anthranilic diamides containing modified N-pyridylpyrazoles were designed and synthesized. All of the compounds were characterized and confirmed by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and HRMS. The single crystal structure of 10c was determined by X-ray diffraction. Their insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) indicated that most of the compounds showed moderate to high activities at the tested concentration, while compound 19 showed comparable higher activity at the concentration of 0.125 mg/L. The preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) was discussed.

12 novel pyrazolecarboxamides containing cyano substituted N-pyridylpyrazole were synthesized, and their structures were characterized by 1H NMR and HRMS techniques. Their evaluated insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata) indicated that the cyano-containing pyrazolecarboxamides exhibited moderate insecticidal activities. Compounds 6i and 6k showed comparable higher activity than corresponding anthranilic diamide 6m.

In search of environmentally benign insecticides with high activity, low toxicity and low residual effects, a series of novel amides (sulfonamides) containing N-pyridylpyrazole were designed and synthesized. Their chemical structures were characterized by 1H NMR, MS and elemental analysis or HRMS. The bioassay tests indicated that some of these compounds exhibited moderate insecticidal activities against Mythimna separata Walker and Culex pipiens pallens.

In search of environmentally benign insecticides with high activity, low toxicity and low residue, a novel series of anthranilic acid esters containing N-pyridylpyrazole were designed and synthesized. All of the compounds were characterized and confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The single crystal structure of 14d was determined by X-ray diffraction. The bioassay tests showed that the synthesized compounds exhibited good insecticidal activities against Mythimna separata Walker and Culex pipiens pallens.

Two series of novel N'-tert-butyl-N'-substituted benzoyl-N-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-5-carbohydrazide derivatives were synthesized, their activities and different insecticidal action modes for different Lepidopteral larvicidal assays were evaluated carefully. The results of larvicidal activities against oriental armyworm and mosquito indicate that different benzoheterocyclic analogues of diacylhydrazide have different structure-activity relationships according to the types and patterns of substitution on the benzene, and 3,5-dimethyl is the most efficient substituent for benzoheterocyclic diacylhydrazine. Among them, N'-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-N-2,4-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-5-carbohydrazide (Ii) stood out as the best compound with high activity. Compound Ii and N'-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-N-5-chloro-6-chromanecarbohydrazide (F) have higher contact activities against diamond-back moth and stomach toxicities against cotton bollworm than ANS-118 and JS-118. Compound F has higher contact toxicity against beet armyworm than ANS-118 and JS-118. These results indicate that different heterocycles and substitutents on the benzene rings of benzoheterocyle moiety not only influence the larvicidal activities strongly but also are very sensitive to the insecticidal action modes for different Lepidopteran larvicidal insects.

This is the first report of novel chiral N-trifluoroacetyl sulfilimines during research for new environmentally benign and ecologically safe novel insecticides with new modes of action. Four series of phthalamides containing 20 new structures were designed, synthesized, and evaluated against oriental armyworm (Pseudaletia separata Walker) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella (L.)) for their insecticidal activities. The target compounds were established by corresponding (1)H NMR, HRMS (or elemental analysis), X-ray diffraction analysis, and optical polarimetry. Introduction of chiral N-trifluoroacetyl sulfiliminyl moieties into the new scaffolds showed that some target compounds possessed impressive activities as commercial flubendiamide. These N-trifluoroacetyl sulfilimines exhibited the sequence of activity against oriental armyworm as (Sc, Ss) ≥ (Sc, Rs) ≫ (Rc, Rs)(Rc, Ss), in which the chiral carbon influenced the activities stronger than sulfur. For diamondback moth, compounds If, IIa, and IIc exhibited even stronger activity than flubendiamide; especially If displayed a death rate of 100% at 10(-6) mg L(-1), much better than that of flubendiamide (0% at 10(-4) mg L(-1)). Comparative molecular field analysis calculation indicated that stereoisomers with Sc configurations containing more electronegative group as COCF3 are favorable to the insecticidal activity. The present work demonstrated that chiral N-trifluoroacetyl sulfilimines can be considered as potential insect ryanodine receptor modulators. From the standpoint of molecular design, it was concluded that the conventional second methyl group in the aliphatic amido side chain of dicarboxamide might not be a requisite in our research on novel sulfiliminyl insecticides.

Background Plant viruses cause many serious plant diseases and are currently suppressed with the simultaneous use of virucides and insecticides. The use of such materials, however, increases the amounts of pollutants in the environment. To reduce environmental contaminants, virucides with insecticidal activity is an attractive option. Results A series of substituted ferulic acid amide derivatives 7 and the corresponding hydrogenated ferulic acid amide derivatives 13 were synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral and insecticidal activities. The majority of the synthesized compounds exhibited good levels of antiviral activity against the tobacco mosaic virus (TMW), with compounds 7a, 7b and 7d in particular providing higher levels of protective and curative activities against TMV at 500 μg/mL than the control compound ribavirin. Furthermore, these compounds displayed good insecticidal activities against insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts, which can spread plant viruses between and within crops. Conclusions Two series of ferulic acid derivatives have been synthesized efficiently. The bioassay showed title compounds not only inhibit the plant viral infection, but also prevented the spread of plant virus by insect vectors. These findings therefore demonstrate that the ferulic acid amides represent a new template for future antiviral studies.

A series of novel spirocyclic tetronic acid derivatives containing an oxalyl moiety was designed and synthesized via the key intermediate 3-(2,4,6-trimethyl)-2-oxo-1-oxaspiro[4.4]-decyl-3-en-4-ol. The target compounds were identified by (1)H NMR and elemental analysis or high-resolution mass spectrum (HRMS). The results of bioassays indicated that most of the target compounds possessed excellent acaricidal activities against carmine spider mite larvae and eggs. Especially, diisopropylamino oxalyl compound 7g and piperidine oxalyl compound 7h were 1.4- and 2.3-fold as high as the activities of commercial Spiromesifen, respectively, against spider mite eggs. Moreover, most of the target compounds exhibited insecticidal activities against Lepidoptera pest. Interestingly, compounds containing alkylamino-substituted oxalyl moiety showed obvious selectivity between spider mite larvae and eggs because the activities against spider mite eggs of 7g and 7h were 25-fold those against spider mite larvae, whereas Spiromesifen had no significant differences in these activities. This meant that the introduction of an oxalyl moiety to spirocyclic tetronic acid might lead to novel biological activity characteristics.