Design, Synthesis, and Bioactivities of Novel 4-(Trifluoromethyl)nicotinamide Derivatives for Use as Insecticides

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Entomology
• Insecticide Development
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Hemiptera pests cause significant crop damage and insecticide resistance.
• Developing novel insecticides is crucial for sustainable agriculture.
• Nicotinamidase in insect chordotonal organs presents a new insecticide target.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize novel 4-(trifluoromethyl)nicotinamide derivatives.
• To evaluate the insecticidal activity of these derivatives against Hemiptera pests.
• To understand structure-activity relationships for enhanced potency.

Main Methods:

• Prodrug strategy and intermediate derivatization for compound synthesis.
• Bioactivity assays to determine insecticidal lethality (LC50).
• 3D-QSAR modeling and DFT calculations for computational analysis.

Main Results:

• Most synthesized derivatives exhibited enhanced insecticidal activity.
• Compound B-38 showed high efficacy against Sitobion avenae (LC50 = 0.710 mg/L), surpassing flonicamid.
• QSAR and DFT analyses provided insights into key structural features for potency.

Conclusions:

• Novel 4-(trifluoromethyl)nicotinamide derivatives are effective insecticides.
• Compound B-38 is a potent lead for developing new pest control agents.
• This research contributes to the development of green and efficient insecticides.