Discovery of conformation constrained tetracyclic compounds as potent chitinase OfChi-h inhibitors with a novel binding mode

Chitinase h (Chi-h) has been identified as a promising pesticide target due to its exclusive distribution in lepidopteran insects and its essential role in the moulting processes. In this study, we leverage OfChi-h from destructive agricultural pest Ostrinia furnacalis (Asian corn borer) as a model...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pengtao Yuan, Xi Jiang, Xintong Ni, Xusheng Shao, Xuhong Qian, Qing Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14756366.2025.2528056
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Chitinase h (Chi-h) has been identified as a promising pesticide target due to its exclusive distribution in lepidopteran insects and its essential role in the moulting processes. In this study, we leverage OfChi-h from destructive agricultural pest Ostrinia furnacalis (Asian corn borer) as a model target to identify novel chitinase inhibitors. A conformational restriction approach was employed to design a series of novel OfChi-h inhibitors. Among these, compound 6a showed the highest inhibitory activity against OfChi-h, with a Ki value of 58 nM. Molecular docking analysis suggested that 6a tightly bound to three subsites (-3 to −1) of OfChi-h. The binding mode is further confirmed by the co-crystallization data of 6a with the SmChiA, a bacterial homologue of OfChi-h, at a resolution of 1.8 Å. This research presents a novel approach for the development of highly potent insect chitinase inhibitors, offering potential tools for effective pest control.
ISSN:1475-6366
1475-6374