Chitinase inhibitors and synthesis and agricultural bioactivity of thiazolidinones: a review

Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) plays an important role in the chitin metabolism process by degrading chitin into chitooligosaccharides. Chitinase is indispensable for the growth and morphogenesis of agricultural pest and disease host such as insect, fungi, nematode, etc. Therefore, Chitinase is one of the most promising target for developing new pesticide with novel molecular mechanism. In recent years, thiazolidinones were reported to possess a variety of agricultural biological activities including chitinase inhibition, so the synthetic methods of thiazolidinones have attracted widely attention. In this review, the chitinases structure represented by those from Ostrinia furnacalis were summarized, as well as the structures of the inhibitors of carbohydrate, peptide, virtual screening, natural-source ones, and their binding mode. The synthetic method and agricultural biological activity of three classes of thiazolidinones were reviewed, including thiazolidin-4-ones, 2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones, and thiazolidin-2,4-diones. Meanwhile, the application of thiazolidinones is also prospected as chitinase inhibitors. It will provide a guidance for rational design and discovery of novel thiazolidinones as chitinase inhibitors based on insect chitinase structure for agricultural pest control.