In recent years, naturally occurring tetrahydro-β-carboline (THC) alkaloids and their derivatives have been of biological interest. However, few studies and developments have reported the use of such structures in managing plant bacterial diseases. Herein, an array of novel THC derivatives containing an attractive 1,3-diaminopropan-2-ol pattern were prepared to evaluate the antiphytopathogen activity in vitro and in vivo and explore innovative antibacterial frameworks. Notably, target compounds exhibited excellent activities against three rebellious phytopathogens, namely, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, at related optimal EC50 values of 2.39 (II9), 2.06 (I23), and 1.69 (II9) μg/mL, respectively. These effects were superior to those of the parent structure 1,2,3,4-THC and positive controls. In vivo assays showed that II9 exhibited excellent control efficiencies of 51.89 and 65.45% at 200 μg/mL against rice bacterial blight and kiwifruit bacterial canker, respectively, and I23 substantially relieved the citrus canker on the leaves. Antibacterial mechanisms indicated that these THC compounds could induce the increment of reactive oxygen species and subsequently endow the tested bacteria with distinct apoptotic behavior. In addition, II9 could alleviate the hypersensitive response and pathogenicity of Psa. Overall, these simple THC derivatives can be further developed as versatile antibacterial agents.
Keywords: ROS; antiphytopathogen; apoptosis; hypersensitive response; in vitro and in vivo bioassays; tetrahydro-β-carboline derivatives.