Green synthesis, biological and molecular docking of some novel sulfonamide thiadiazole derivatives as potential insecticidal against Spodoptera littoralis

Although crop plants provide the majority of human food, pests and insects frequently cause huge economic losses. In order to develop innovative insecticidal compounds with low toxicity and a positive environmental impact, we developed new N-(4-sulfamoylphenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-carboxamide derivatives (2–12). With the use of spectroscopic techniques and elemental data, the chemical structure of these new compounds was meticulously clarified. The toxicological and biological effects of the synthesized compound of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval, 1833) under laboratory conditions were also investigated. Regarding the determined LC(50) values, compounds 3, 7, 8, and 10 showed the most potent toxic effect with LC(50) values of 29.60, 30.06, 27.65 and 29.01 ppm, respectively. A molecular docking investigation of twelve synthetic compounds (from compound 2 to compound 12) was performed against AChE (Acetylcholinesterase). There was a wide range of binding affinities shown by these compounds. This work suggests that these substances may have insecticidal and AChE inhibitory properties, and it may be possible to further explore them in the process of creating pesticides that target AChE.