title: Phytotoxic Potential and Biological Activity of Three Synthetic Coumarin Derivatives as New Natural-Like Herbicides.
abstract: Coumarin is a natural compound well known for its phytotoxic potential. In the search for new herbicidal compounds to manage weeds, three synthetic derivatives bearing the coumarin scaffold (1-3), synthesized by a carbonylative organometallic approach, were in vitro assayed on germination and root growth of two noxious weeds, Amaranthus retroflexus and Echinochloa crus-galli. Moreover, the synthetic coumarins 1-3 were also in vitro assayed on seedlings growth of the model species Arabidopsis thaliana to identify the possible physiological targets. All molecules strongly affected seed germination and root growth of both weeds. Interestingly, the effects of synthetic coumarins on weed germination were higher than template natural coumarin, pointing out ED50 values ranging from 50-115 µM. Moreover, all synthetic coumarins showed a strong phytotoxic potential on both Arabidopsis shoot and root growth, causing a strong reduction in shoot fresh weight (ED50 values ≤ 60 µM), accompanied by leaf development and a decrease in pigment content. Furthermore, they caused a strong alteration in root growth (ED50 values ≤ 170 µM) and morphology with evident alterations in root tip anatomy. Taken together, our results highlight the promising potential herbicidal activity of these compounds.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento AGRARIA, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria 89124, Italy. fabrizio.araniti@unirc.it.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Araniti
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial and Synthetic Organic Chemistry (LISOC), Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università della Calabria, Via P. Bucci 12/C, Arcavacata di Rende (Cosenza) 87036, Italy. raffaella.mancuso@unical.it.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento AGRARIA, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria 89124, Italy. antonio.lupini@unirc.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lupini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e dei Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, Via SS Annunziata, Messina 98168, Italy. salvatorevincenzo.giofre@unime.it.
authors.forename: Salvatore V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Giofrè
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento AGRARIA, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria 89124, Italy. francesco.sunseri@unirc.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sunseri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial and Synthetic Organic Chemistry (LISOC), Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università della Calabria, Via P. Bucci 12/C, Arcavacata di Rende (Cosenza) 87036, Italy. bartolo.gabriele@unical.it.
authors.forename: Bartolo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gabriele
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento AGRARIA, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria 89124, Italy. mrabenavoli@unirc.it.
authors.forename: Maria Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Abenavoli
mesh_terms: D060326:Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; D003374:Coumarins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D006540:Herbicides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects; D057685:Plant Weeds / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003374:Coumarins; D006540:Herbicides
keywords: Amaranthus retroflexus; Arabidopsis thaliana; Echinochloa crus-galli; coumarins; germination; natural-like herbicides; phytotoxicity; root morphology