Mosquito larvicidal activity of pyrrolidine-2,4-dione derivatives: An investigation against Culex quinquefasciatus and molecular docking studies

The pyrrolidine-2,4-dione derivatives were used to conduct a larvicidal test on Culex quinquefasciatus larvae of the second instar. Mannich base condensation method was used to synthesis the pyrrolidine-2,4-dione derivatives by grindstone method. The reaction conditions were mild, resulting in high yields. An analysis of the synthesized compounds was carried out using FTIR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. Synthesized compounds (1a-h) were evaluated for larvicidal activities. Compound 1e (LD(50): 26.06 µg/mL), and 1f (LD(50): 26.89 µg/mL), and were notably more active against Culex quinquefasciatus than permethrin (LD(50): 26.14 µg/mL). The docking studies also demonstrated that 1e, and 1f are potent larvicides with higher binding energy (−12.6 kcal/mol) than the control in the mosquito odorant binding protein (PDB ID: 3OGN). The larvicidal properties of lead molecules have made them important for use as insecticides.