Chemical design, preparation, agricultural bioefficacy valuation, and molecular docking of some pyridine containing compounds

The development of effective insecticides is crucial for sustainable agriculture. This research focuses on a series of pyridine derivatives (3–9) that were prepared and evaluated for their agricultural bioefficacy as potential insecticides against cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch (Homoptera: Aphididae). The results demonstrate significant variations in bioefficacy among the tested compounds. Toxicity index analysis revealed the following order of insecticidal activity: 8>4>6>3>5>7>9, highlighting compound 8 as the most potent. Furthermore, potential binding interactions were elucidated through molecular docking studies between these compounds and relevant insect target proteins. So, the observed bioactivity trends were rationalized with the use of the docking data, which offered useful information on the binding affinities and molecular interactions. AChE, or acetylcholine esterase (PDB ID: 2ACE), has been docked against the seven synthetic molecules (3–9). Interestingly, compounds (2-(pyridin-2-ylthio)acetonitrile; 8), (2-(pyridin-2-ylthio)acetic acid; 6), and (ethyl 2-(pyridin-2-ylthio)acetate; 4) had the highest binding affinity, with respective docking scores (S) of -7.51, -7.45, and -7.12 kcal/mol, while compounds (thieno[2,3-b]pyridine derivatives; 7 and 9) had the lowest binding affinity (S=-6.52 and -6.73 kcal/mol, respectively). According to protein-ligand docking configurations, these compounds exhibited a range of binding interactions inside the 2ACE active site. Hence, this study contributes to the development of new pyridine-based insecticides for sustainable pest management in agricultural applications.