Insecticidal and neuroblocking potencies of variants of the thiazolidine moiety of thiacloprid and quantitative relationship study for the key neonicotinoid pharmacophore

The pharmacophore of the neonicotinoid insecticide thiacloprid, cyanoiminothiazolidine, was modified to heterocycles such as imidazolidine, pyrrolidine and oxazolidine (the central ring hereafter). Their 6-chloro-3-pyridylmethyl or 5-chloro-3-thiazolylmethyl derivatives were examined for insecticidal activity against the American cockroach by injection and neuroblocking activity using the cockroach ganglion. The derivatives showed strong insecticidal activity with the minimum lethal dose (MLD) of about 10 nmol, which were however mostly weaker than the corresponding nitromethylene or nitroimine compounds. The activity was enhanced in the presence of synergists. The neuroblocking effect of cyanoimino compounds was at the micromolar level. Quantitative analysis for 23 variants of the key pharmacophore, constructed with the central ring conjugated to an NCN, CHNO 2 , or NNO 2 , showed that the neuroblocking potency is proportional to the Mulliken charge on the nitro oxygen atom or cyano nitrogen atom. The optimum log P value was evaluated as 1.19. The equation for the insecticidal- vs. the neuroblocking-potencies indicated that both potencies are related proportionally with each other when the other factors are the same.