Synthesis and insecticidal activity of sulfonate derivatives of sesamol against Mythimna separata in vivo

Abstract

A series of sulfonate derivatives of sesamol were synthesized and evaluated for their insecticidal activity against a crop-threatening agricultural pest, the pre-third-instar larvae of Mythimna separata in vivo. Among all the target compounds, compounds 3b, 3g, 3h, and 3p exhibited more promising insecticidal activity than sesamol and toosendanin, and the final mortality rates (FMRs) of 3b, 3g, 3h, 3p, 1, and toosendanin were 60.7%/60.7%/67.9%/53.6%/32.1%/50.0%, respectively. Especially compound 3h exhibited the most potent insecticidal activity with FMRs of 67.9%. This suggested that a 4-fluorophenylsulfonyl group introduced at the hydroxyl position of sesamol was necessary for obtaining the most potent compound.

Keywords:

• Sesamol
• sulfonate
• semisynthesis
• botanical insecticide
• insecticidal activity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U1604105) and the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province (Grant No. 182300410043, 182300410016, 152300410082).