Synthesis and antibacterial activity of naringenin derivatives containing selenocyanate moiety

To control plant pathogen infections, we synthesized naringenin derivatives bearing selenocyanate moieties and assayed their antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola via the microbroth dilution method. Structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. Compounds 4a and 4b featuring ether substitution at the 7-hydroxyl of naringenin showed potent activity against X. axonopodis pv. citri (EC50: 0.33–0.38 μg/ml) and X. oryzae pv. Oryzicola (EC50: 0.36–0.75 μg/ml), while 5b and 8c outperformed chlorothalonil against X. oryzae pv. Oryzae (EC50: 1.05–1.42 μg/ml). This study provides valuable insights for developing novel plant disease control agents.