Green catalyst Cu(II)-enzyme-mediated eco-friendly synthesis of 2-pyrimidinamines as potential larvicides against Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito and toxicity investigation against non-target aquatic species.

Novel one-pot multicomponent synthesis of 2-pyrimidinamine derivatives can be achieved via green chemistry, using Cu(II)-tyrosinase enzyme (Cu-Tyr) as a catalyst. This method offers mild reaction conditions and a high yield of derivatives. We synthesised several compounds in this manner and evaluated their larvicidal, and antifeedant activities. Out of the synthesised derivatives, compound 3, with a median lethal dose (LD) of 21.43 µg/mL, was highly active against Culex quinquefasciatus, compared to compounds 1a-m and 2, and the control, hydantocidin. Compounds 1j, 1d, and 1e were low active against C. quinquefasciatus with LD values of 78.46, 78.59, and 79.54 µg/mL, respectively. In antifeedant screening, compounds 1j, 1l, and 2 generated 100% mortality within 24 h against Oreochromis mossambicus at 100 µg/mL, where toxicity was determined as the ratio of the number of dead and live fingerlings (%) at 24 h. In contrast, compounds 1a-f, 1i, 1m, and 3 were less toxic to O. mossambicus as compared to the control, dibromoisophakellin. Therefore, compound 3 had high larvicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus and was less toxic to non-target aquatic species. Molecular docking studies also supported the finding that compound 3 was an effective larvicide with more inhibition ability than the control hydantocidin (-9.6 vs. -6.1 kcal/mol).