2026/05/01 by Hong-Jie Liang, Guo‐Liang Mou, Bao-Qi Zhang +3 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Materials Science · #Antimicrobial agents and applications #Boron and Carbon Nanomaterials Research #Synthesis and bioactivity of alkaloids
paper · doi:10.1094/pdis-06-25-1322-re
openalex publication_date 2026/05/01 · openalex created_date 2026/05/16 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/18
The gray mold disease of plants caused by Botrytis cinerea leads to severe economic losses. Our previous studies showed that the neocryptolepine derivative Z24 exhibits excellent antifungal activity, particularly against B. cinerea. To assess the application value of Z24, this study further evaluated its antifungal effects. The results of this study show that N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, and cinnamon oil can all serve as solvents for Z24. The EC 50 value of Z24 against B. cinerea was 0.8466 μg/ml, which was significantly lower than that of neocryptolepine, and there was no cross-resistance between Z24, neocryptolepine, and pyrimethanil. However, the wide range of the baseline EC 50 values for Z24 among different isolates, especially the long right-hand tail on the sensitivity distribution curve, may imply a high risk for resistance development in the future. The preventive efficacy of Z24 at 800 μg/ml reached 80.14%, which was greater than that of pyrimethanil at the same concentration. The results showed that both neocryptolepine and Z24 could reduce the infection of B. cinerea by inhibiting its pectinase activity, with Z24 being more effective. This study indicates that the application of Z24 and neocryptolepine reduces the resistance of B. cinerea to sodium chloride- and hydrogen peroxide-induced stress, thereby potentially alleviating the occurrence of gray mold to a certain extent. Z24 is a relatively safe compound since it exhibits no toxicity to cucumber plants within the inhibitory dose and is safe for mice at a dose of 5,000 mg/kg. In conclusion, Z24 has good fungicidal activity against B. cinerea and has great potential for managing pyrimethanil-resistant strains. However, the continuous and sole use of Z24 should be avoided in practical applications.