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Resistance development in insects significantly threatens the important benefits obtained by insecticide usage in vector control of disease-transmitting insects. Discovery of new chemical entities with insecticidal activity is highly desired in order to develop new insecticide candidates. Here, we present the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of phenoxyacetamide-based inhibitors of the essential enzyme acetylcholinesterase 1 (AChE1). AChE1 is a validated insecticide target to control mosquito vectors of, e.g., malaria, dengue, and Zika virus infections. The inhibitors combine a mosquito versus human AChE selectivity with a high potency also for the resistance-conferring mutation G122S; two properties that have proven challenging to combine in a single compound. Structure-activity relationship analyses and molecular dynamics simulations of inhibitor-protein complexes have provided insights that elucidate the molecular basis for these properties. We also show that the inhibitors demonstrate in vivo insecticidal activity on disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Our findings support the concept of noncovalent, selective, and resistance-breaking inhibitors of AChE1 as a promising approach for future insecticide development.

Original publication

DOI

10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01060

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Med Chem

Publication Date

13/12/2018

Volume

61

Pages

10545 - 10557

Keywords

Acetamides, Acetylcholinesterase, Aedes, Animals, Cholinesterase Inhibitors, Drug Design, Drug Resistance, Inhibitory Concentration 50, Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Protein Conformation