NEWLY SYNTHESIZED CITRAL DERIVATIVES SERVE AS NOVEL INHIBITOR OF Colletotrichum gloeosporioides: SYNTHESIS, INHIBITORY ACTIVITY, AND MECHANISM

We synthesized a series of citral hydrazone derivatives as inhibitors of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and determined their halfmaximal effective concentration (EC50) values. The formylhydrazine (4q) synthesized from citral exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, with an EC50 value of 1.6548 mg L–1. In addition, after treatment with 4q, the conductivity of C. gloeosporioides treatment solution increased with the increasing concentration, while the soluble protein and reducing sugar contents decreased as the treatment concentration increased. Molecular docking studies showed that the binding of 4q to chitin synthetase was primarily driven by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The binding of 4q to succinate dehydrogenase, on the other hand, was mainly driven by three hydrogen bonds. In summary, this study confirmed a novel inhibitor of C. gloeosporioides, which is expected to be developed into a new antifungal drug, promoting the healthy development of the Camellia oleifera industry.