Synthesis of N-substituted dimethylmaleimides and their antifungal activities against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Compounds with maleimide, both natural and synthesized, have good biological activities, especially the antifungal activity. In order to investigate the antifungal activity of dimethylmaleimides, 17 N-substituted dimethylmaleimides were prepared from the reactions of 2,3-dimethyl maleic anhydride and amines using a facile synthetic method in this paper. These compounds were evaluated for antifungal activities against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum by the mycelium growth rate method. They exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.01–50.0 μg/mL, with N-(2-benzimidazole)-3,4-dimethylmaleimide being the most active one with an MIC of 0.01 μg/mL. The structure and activity relationship on these compounds indicated that the hydrophobicity of the N-substituents is associated with their antifungal activity. Compared to current antifungals, most of N-substituted dimethylmaleimides have a perfect activity for S. sclerotiorum control and low toxicity.