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Synthesis of pyrazole derivatives and their evaluation as photosynthetic electron transport inhibitors.

Two series of new pyrazoles, namely six pyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazine-2,4-dione and four pyrazolo[1,5-c][1,3,5]thiadiazine-2-one derivatives, were synthesized as potential inhibitors of the photosynthetic electron transport chain at the photosystem II level. The compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR, elemental, and IR analyses. Their biological activity was evaluated in vivo upon both the growth of blue-green algae and the photosynthetic oxygen evolution by eukaryotic algae and in vitro as the ability to interfere with light-driven reduction of ferricyanide by isolated spinach chloroplasts. Some compounds exhibited remarkable inhibitory properties, comparable to those of the reference commercial herbicides lenacil, diuron, and hexazinone. Results suggest that the substitution of triazine with thiadiazine ring may act as amplifier for herbicidal activity.

Cyanobacteria↗

Pyrazole derivatives as photosynthetic electron transport inhibitors: new leads and structure-activity relationship.

Four series of new pyrazoles, namely, 5 4-carboxypyrazolo-3-tert-butylcarboxamide and 6 4-carboxypyrazolo-3-cyclopropylcarboxamide derivatives and 10 pyrazolo[3,4-d][1,3]thiazine-4-one and 9 pyrazolo[3,4-d][1,3]thiazine-4-thione derivatives, were synthesized and screened as potential inhibitors of photosynthetic electron transport. The structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, elemental, and IR analyses. Their biological activity was evaluated in vitro as the ability to interfere with the light-driven reduction of ferricyanide by isolated spinach chloroplasts. Only a few compounds exhibited excellent inhibitory properties in the micromolar range, comparable to those of commercial herbicides sharing the same target, such as diuron, lenacil, and hexazinone. Nevertheless, most of the remaining molecules exerted a remarkable inhibition in the millimolar range. Combined with previous results on 6 pyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazine-2,4-dione and 4 pyrazolo[1,5-c][1,3,5]thiadiazine-2-one derivatives, these data allowed a comprehensive analysis of structure-activity relationship. Molecular modeling studies were undertaken to rationalize the structural determinants of activity in terms of shape, size, and molecular fields. Results suggested that the inhibitory potential of these compounds is associated mainly with their electrostatic properties.

Electron Transport↗

Multiresidue analysis of cotton defoliant, herbicide, and insecticide residues in water by solid-phase extraction and GC-NPD, GC-MS, and HPLC-diode array detection.

A multiresidue procedure was developed for analysis of cotton pesticide and harvest-aid chemicals in water using solid-phase extraction and analysis by GC-NPD, GC-MS, and HPLC-DAD. Target compounds included the defoliants tribufos, dimethipin, thidiazuron; the herbicide diuron; and the insecticide methyl parathion. Three solid-phase extraction (SPE) media, octadecylsilyl (ODS), graphitized carbon black (GCB), and a divinylbenzene-N-vinyl pyrollidine copolymer (DVBVP), were evaluated. On GCB and ODS, recoveries varied depending on compound type. Recoveries were quantitative for all compounds on DVBVP, ranging from 87 to 115% in spiked deionized water and surface runoff. The method detection limit was less than 0.1 microg L(-)(1). SPE with DVBVP was applied to post-defoliation samples of surface runoff and tile drainage from a cotton research plot and surface runoff from a commercial field. The research plot was defoliated with a tank mixture of dimethipin and thidiazuron, and the commercial field, with tribufos. Dimethipin was detected (1.9-9.6 microg L(-)(1)) in all research plot samples. In the commercial field samples, tribufos concentration ranged from 0.1 to 135 microg L(-)(1). An exponentially decreasing concentration trend was observed with each successive storm event.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Amino- and urea-substituted thiazoles inhibit photosynthetic electron transfer.

Amino- and urea-substituted thiazoles exhibited in vivo herbicidal activity on duckweed (Lemna paucicostata Hegelm. strain 6746) cultures and appeared to act via inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport system. A small number of the thiazole derivatives tested were active but only at relatively high concentrations. The most active structures were the amino-substituted thiazoles with isopropyl and n-butyl side chains and the urea-substituted thiazole with p-chlorophenyl side chain. Decreasing the length of the side chain had a negative effect on the PSII inhibitory activity. The urea-substituted series was as a group less active than the amino series, and the free acid series had no biological activity. The most active compounds competed for the same binding site as atrazine on PSII. Computer modeling highlighted the structural similarities between some of the thiazoles and the commercial herbicides diuron and atrazine.

Amines↗

Photoconsumption of oxygen in photosystem II preparations under impairment of the water-oxidizing complex.

Oxygen consumption in photosystem II (PSII) preparations in the light was 2 micromol O2/h per mg Chl at weakly acidic and at neutral pH values. It increased fourfold to fivefold at pH 8.5-9.0. The addition of either artificial electron donors for PSII such as MnCl2 or diphenylcarbazide, or diuron as an inhibitor of electron transfer from QA, the primary bound quinone acceptor, to QB, the secondary bound quinone acceptor of PSII, resulted in a decrease in oxygen consumption rate at basic pH to value close to ones measured at pH 6.5. Such additions did not affect oxygen consumption at lower pH values. The induction of variable chlorophyll fluorescence yield in the light differed greatly at pH 6.5 and 8.5. While at pH 6.5 the fluorescence yield, after an initial fast rise almost to Fmax, only slightly decreased, at pH 8.5 after such a rise it dropped promptly to a low value. The additions of the artificial electron donors at pH 8.5 resulted in the induction kinetics close to that observed at pH 6.5. These data indicate impairment of electron donation to P680+ that could be caused by damage to the water oxidation system at basic pH values. In experiments with PSII preparations treated with Tris to destroy the water-oxidizing complex, photoconsumption of oxygen in the entire pH region was close to the values in untreated preparations at basic pH. In untreated preparations the rate of light-induced oxygen consumption decreased in the presence of catalase, which decomposes H2O2, as well as in the presence of electron acceptor potassium ferricyanide. From these data it is suggested that the light-induced oxygen consumption in PSII is caused by two processes, by an interaction of O2 with organic radicals, which were formed due to oxidation of components of the donor side of this photosystem (proteins, lipids, pigments) by cation-radical P680+, as well as by oxygen reduction by still unidentified components of PSII.

Chloroplasts↗

Photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport in the alkaliphilic cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis.

Photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport and their interplay with ion transport have been studied in Arthrospira platensis, a filamentous alkaliphilic cyanobacterium living in hypersaline lakes. As typical for alkaliphiles, A. platensis apparently does not maintain an outward positive pH gradient at its plasma membrane. Accordingly, sodium extrusion occurs via an ATP-dependent primary sodium pump, in contrast to the Na(+)/H(+) antiport in most cyanobacteria. A. platensis is strongly dependent on sodium/bicarbonate symport for the uptake of inorganic carbon. Sodium extrusion in the presence of the Photosystem II inhibitor diuron indicates that a significant amount of ATP is supplied by cyclic electron transport around Photosystem I, the content of which in A. platensis is exceptionally high. Plastoquinol is oxidized by two parallel pathways, via the cytochrome b (6) f complex and a putative cytochrome bd complex, both of which are active in the light and in the dark.

Journal Article↗

Application of an androgen receptor assay for the characterisation of the androgenic or antiandrogenic activity of various phenylurea herbicides and their derivatives.

The potency of different substances for [3H]dihydrotestosterone ([3H]DHT) displacement from the bovine androgen receptor was tested. The phenylurea herbicide linuron and its derivative 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA), which are found in sediments and surface waters, are known to displace bound testosterone from the rat androgen receptor. Because 3,4-DCA is rapidly taken up by fish and metabolised into 3,4-dichloroacetanilide (3,4-DCAc), it was investigated whether the displacement effects are attributable to 3,4-DCA or to 3,4-DCAc. The potency of 3,4-DCAc androgen receptor binding was compared with that of several phenylurea compounds. In a radioreceptor assay with calf uterus cytosol as androgen receptor preparation, the specific binding of [3H]DHT, the endogenous ligand, was completely displaceable by increasing concentrations of 3,4-DCAc. The relative binding affinities (RBA) of the various compounds were about 1/10(4) to 1/10(5) of that of DHT. 3,4-DCAc had the relative highest affinity (1.31 x 10(-4)), followed by linuron, 3,4-dichlorophenylurea, flutamide, 3,4-DCA and diuron with the lowest RBA (2.4 x 10(-5)). Hence the metabolism of xenobiotic compounds has to be considered to estimate potential ecotoxiocological effects. This test not only can be used to screen for androgen- and antiandrogen-like substances in environmentally relevant samples such as surface waters, but might also be applied for drug testing and for residue monitoring.

Acetanilides↗

Development of a novel passive sampling system for the time-averaged measurement of a range of organic pollutants in aquatic environments.

A new sampling system has been developed for the measurement of time-averaged concentrations of organic micropollutants in aquatic environments. The system is based on the diffusion of targeted organic compounds through a rate-limiting membrane and the subsequent accumulation of these species in a bound, hydrophobic, solid-phase material. It provides a novel and robust solution to the problem of monitoring in situations where large temporal fluctuations in pollutant levels may occur. Accumulation rates are regulated by choice of diffusion-limiting membrane and bound solid-phase material and have been found to be dependent on the physico-chemical properties of individual target analytes. Two separate prototype systems are described: one suitable for the sampling of non-polar organic species with log octanol/water partition coefficient (log P) values greater than 4, the other for more polar species with log P values between 2 and 4. Both systems use the same solid-phase material (47 mm C18 Empore disk) as a receiving phase but are fitted with different rate-limiting membrane materials (polysulfone for the polar and polyethylene for the non-polar analytes). The two systems complement each other and together can be used for sampling a wider range of organic analytes than generally possible using current passive sampling techniques. Calibration data are presented for both devices. In each case, linear uptake kinetics were sustained, under constant conditions, for deployment periods of between 1 and 9 days. The effects of water temperature and turbulence on sampling rates have been quantitatively assessed. The performance of the system was further investigated by means of field exposures for one and two weeks in marine environments where calibrated samplers were used to determine the time-averaged concentrations of the polar biocides diuron and irgarol 1051. The quantitative results obtained using the passive sampler were compared with those obtained using spot sampling.

Environmental Monitoring↗

Photochemical behaviour of phenylurea herbicides.

The photochemical behaviour of phenylurea herbicides in aqueous solution is highly dependent on the nature and position of substituents on the ring. Most of these herbicides are methylated on the urea moiety, the other substituents are usually halogens or methoxy groups. The main reaction involving the aromatic ring of unhalogenated phenylureas excited at wavelengths shorter than 300 nm is an intramolecular rearrangement, similar to photo-Fries rearrangement, whereas with halogenated derivatives, photohydrolysis is the main transformation pathway. In the particular case of para-halogenated phenylureas, the intermediate formation of a carbene is observed. When the urea moiety is substituted with a methoxyl group, demethoxylation is a competitive reaction. N-Demethylation or oxidation of methyl groups is also observed, but with a lower yield. Photooxidation of phenylureas can also be induced by photocatalysis, iron salts or humic substances. In the absence of water, the main route for phototransformation of diuron is the oxidation or elimination of methyl groups. It is entirely possible that a photochemical intermediate could turn out to be more toxic than the initial herbicide.

Ferric Compounds↗

Pesticides in rainwater in Flanders, Belgium: results from the monitoring program 1997-2001.

In 1997 the Flemish Environmental Agency (FEA) started a monitoring program "Pesticides in Rain in Flanders, Belgium". The original purpose of the monitoring program was to examine the possible occurrence of dichlorvos in rainwater and subsequent deposition. However, it was thought necessary from the beginning to monitor a wide range of pesticides. During the first year some 62 pesticides and metabolites and 9 polychlorinated biphenyls, were monitored at 4 locations. Nowadays the monitoring program has grown up to more than 100 pesticides and metabolites and 11 polychlorinated biphenyls examined at 8 different locations. Rainwater is collected continuously and samples are examined for pesticides and PCB's on a weekly basis. In agreement with other European studies pesticides are found in rainwater samples during times of application. Pesticides which are most frequently detected are [small alpha]-, [small beta]-endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate, [gamma]-HCH (lindane), dichlorvos, atrazine, diuron, DNOC, glyphosate and AMPA and isoproturon. Furthermore it was seen that most pesticides showed a deposition pattern related to local spraying operations.

Air Pollutants↗

Isolation of isoproturon-degrading bacteria from treated soil via three different routes.

Three different isolation routes (flask enrichment/flask degradation assay, flask enrichment/microplate degradation assay, MPN assay/microplate degradation assay) were used to obtain pure cultures of bacteria which degraded isoproturon (3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea) as sole carbon and nitrogen source in a mineral salts medium from a field soil treated with isoproturon in the laboratory. All three isolation routes were successful, but the microplate assay of degradation was more successful than the flask assay. Characterization of 36 isolates indicated that they formed 16 distinct phenotypes (10 Gram-positive phenotypes, six Gram-negative phenotypes) which are likely to represent distinct species. Low concentrations of the degradation product 3-(4- isopropylphenyl)-1-methylurea (IPPMU) were occasionally found in the culture solutions. When provided as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen, the monomethyl degradation product was itself rapidly degraded by several of the isolates. Some isolates were also able to use the demethylated degradation product 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-urea (IPPU) as sole source of carbon and nitrogen, although there was occasionally an extended lag-phase before rapid degradation commenced. One isolate was particularly active and degraded isoproturon, the monomethyl and demethylated degradation products of isoproturon, and demethylated the related phenylureas diuron and linuron.

Bacteria↗

Electron flow through plastoquinone and cytochromes b6 and f in chloroplasts.

With dark-adapted chloroplasts in which the plastoquinone was oxidized, a partial reduction of cytochrome b6 was obtained upon illumination with a pair of short saturating flashes. The second flash of the pair was much more effective than the first, and the reduction was inhibited by the system II inhibitor diuron. When the plastoquinone pool was reduced, both the reduction and the oxidation of cytochrome b6 were accelerated. The cytochrome b6 oxidation appeared to proceed in association with the reduction of cytochrome f, although these cytochromes are not simply connected in series. From these observations it is inferred that electron flow to the secondary donors of system I alternately caused the reduction and the oxidation of cytochrome b6. An interpretation is offered that also accounts for the transmembrane proton translocation that is associated with the oxidation of plastohydroquinone.

Chloroplasts↗

Membrane protein damage and repair: Selective loss of a quinone-protein function in chloroplast membranes.

A loss of electron transport capacity in chloroplast membranes was induced by high-light intensities (photoinhibition). The primary site of inhibition was at the reducing side of photosystem II (PSII) with little damage to the oxidizing side or to the reaction center core of PSII. Addition of herbicides (atrazine or diuron) partially protected the membrane from photoinhibition; these compounds displace the bound plastoquinone (designated as Q(B)), which functions as the secondary electron acceptor on the reducing side of PSII. Loss of function of the 32-kilodalton Q(B) apoprotein was demonstrated by a loss of binding sites for [(14)C]atrazine. We suggest that quinone anions, which may interact with molecular oxygen to produce an oxygen radical, selectively damage the apoprotein of the secondary acceptor of PSII, thus rendering it inactive and thereby blocking photosynthetic electron flow under conditions of high photon flux densities.

Journal Article↗

Regulation of protein metabolism: Coupling of photosynthetic electron transport to in vivo degradation of the rapidly metabolized 32-kilodalton protein of the chloroplast membranes.

In Spirodela oligorrhiza, mature chloroplasts copiously synthesize and degrade a 32-kilodalton membrane protein. The rates of synthesis and degradation are controlled by light intensity, the protein being unstable in the light and stable in the dark. Light-driven synthesis, but not degradation, is dependent on ATP. Degradation is blocked by herbicides inhibiting photosystem II electron transport, such as diuron and atrazine. Thus, both anabolism and catabolism of the 32-kilodalton protein are photoregulated, with degradation coupled to electron transport rather than phosphorylation.

Journal Article↗

Site-directed mutagenesis in photosystem II of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: Donor D is a tyrosine residue in the D2 protein.

The chemical nature of electron donor(s) in photosystem II in photosynthetic membranes was analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis of the gene encoding the protein D2 of the photosystem II reaction center. Mutation of the Tyr-160 residue of the D2 protein into phenylalanine results in the disappearance of the electron paramagnetic resonance signal II(S) originating from D(+), the oxidized form of the slow photosystem II electron donor D. Signal II(S) is still present if a neighboring residue in D2, Met-159, is mutated into arginine. Both mutants have normal rereduction kinetics of the oxidized primary electron donor, P680(+), in octyl glucoside-extracted thylakoids, indicating that D is not directly involved in P680(+) reduction. However, overall photosystem II activity appears to be impaired in the Tyr-160-Phe mutant: photosystem II-dependent growth of this mutant is slowed down by a factor of 3-4, whereas photoheterotrophic growth rates in wild type and mutant are essentially identical. Binding studies of diuron, a photosystem II herbicide, show that there is no appreciable decrease in the number of photosystem II centers in the Tyr-160-Phe mutant. The decrease in photosystem II activity in this mutant may be interpreted to indicate a role of D in photoactivation, rather than one as an important redox intermediate in the photosynthetic electron-transport chain.

Journal Article↗

Screening of selected pesticides for oestrogen receptor activation in vitro.

Twenty pesticides were tested for their ability to activate the oestrogen receptor in vitro using an MCF7 cell proliferation assay and a Yeast Oestrogen Screen. The fungicides fenarimol, triadimefon, and triadimenol were identified as weak oestrogen receptor agonists, which at 10 microM induces a 2.0, 2.4, and 1.9-fold increase in proliferation of human MCF7 breast cancer cells (E3 clone). The relative proliferation efficiency (RPE) was 43-69%, indicating partial agonism at the oestrogen receptor. Several pesticides did not have any effect on the proliferation response after 6 days of exposure, including: chlorpyrifos, diuron, iprodion, linuron, pentachlorphenol, prochloraz, propioconazol, propyzamine, quintozen, tetrachorvinphos and tetradifon. Some pesticides resulted in a negligible proliferation response, which was not statistically significant under the present experimental conditions. These were: bromopropylate, chlorfenvinphos, chlorobenzilate, dicofol, heptachlor, and imazalil. Fenarimol and dicofol also gave rise to a positive oestrogenic response in yeast cells transfected with the oestrogen receptor alpha, whereas the remaining compounds resulted in a negative response due either to biological inactivity or cytotoxocity to the yeast cells. The EC50 for fenarimol was estimated to be 13 microM in the yeast cells, compared with an EC50 of 3 microM in the MCF7 cells, indicating higher sensitivity of the latter assay. No in vivo data for fenarimol, triadimefon or triadimenol have previously been published that support oestrogenic activity in the intact animal. Thus, from the present results we suggest that oestrogen receptor activation may not be an important mode of action for these compounds. The need to include at least two bioassays in a screening procedure and for combining in vitro and in vivo data is emphasized.

Cell Line↗

Determination of commonly used herbicides in surface water using solid-phase extraction and dual-column HPLC-DAD.

The present study describes the application of different solid-phase extraction techniques for the extraction, separation, and quantitative determination of 10 commonly used herbicides with different chemical structures (chlorsulfuron, diuron, bentazone, linuron, chlorpropham, fenoxoprop-ethyl, MCPA, diclofop-methyl, fluazifop-butyl, trifluraline) in water. Octadecyl (C(18)) Empore extraction disks, octadecyl (C(18)), and stryene divinylbenzene (SDB) Bond Elut Env cartridges were compared for solid-phase extraction efficiency. Herbicides were separated and quantified by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) with simultaneous separation on two columns of differing polarity (C(18) and CN) to confirm identification. Analytical separation was performed simultaneously on C(18) and CN columns. Reanalysis of the sample extracts on a (cyano) CN column were used to confirm the identity of these compounds. Method optimization and validation parameters were presented in this work. Recoveries varied from 76.0% to 99.0% for C(18) disks, from 75.1% to 100.0% for C(18) cartridges, and from 54.0% to 98.0% for SDB cartridges over concentrations at 0.025--0.4 microg L(-1). The limits of detection were 0.012--0.035 microg L(-1).

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Monitoring of triazine and phenylurea herbicides in the surface waters of Greece.

A large-scale study was implemented to monitor triazine and phenylurea herbicides in the main surface water bodies of continental Greece from October 1998 to September 1999. Samples from 10 rivers and 7 lakes were analyzed for the presence of five triazine (atrazine, cyanazine, prometryne, simazine, terbuthylazine) and five phenylurea (chlorotoluron, diuron, linuron, metobromuron, monolinuron) herbicides. The samples were extracted with C18 cartridges and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The most frequently detected herbicides were atrazine, followed by prometryne, cyanazine, and simazine. The concentrations of the compounds were generally low (< 0.78 micro g/L) and are not considered harmful for the freshwater ecosystem. Most of the positive samples were taken from the water bodies of northern Greece where agricultural activity is more intense.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗