In vitro evaluation of 1,3,4-oxadiazolethiones for insecticidal activity in agricultural pest cell lines

The paper was dedicated to the investigation of the insecticidal activities of recently prepared 1,3,4-oxadiazole compounds and their in vitro efficacy was determined with the help of cell lines taken out of Helicoverpa zea, Trichoplusia ni and Lymantria dispar. The MTT assay yielded results that showed that the compounds synthesized had insecticidal activities between 88.4 -97.2 - 100 µM that were similar to those of the commercial insecticide Imidacloprid 2F of 96.4 -98.3 - 100 µM. In silico testing showed that the newly prepared compounds bind to a variety of amino acid residues either with several interaction modes at the same time such as π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, π-π anion interaction, and π-π alkyl interaction, specifically against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) of the insect species used. Since they are relatively harmless to the environment, these 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives have a potential as alternative agents in sustainable pests control in agriculture, which could be beneficial compared to the use of conventional insecticides. The results highlight the effectiveness of such compounds as effective agents against insect cell lines in agriculture. However, in order to completely prove their practical implementation, there is a need to conduct additional in vivo research and field tests are suggested to verify their effectiveness in real-world situations.