Natural products as a source of agrochemicals and leads for chemical synthesis

The use of natural products as a source of new agrochemicals and the procedures that can be undertaken to discover such compounds are reviewed using examples from both the literature and our own experiences. The commercial successes obtained to date show that natural products are a powerful source of new agrochemicals. The results from a survey of the views of the agrochemical industry of natural product work indicated a high level of interest, with 16 of the 19 companies that replied being involved in natural product work either through in-house or external programmes of work. Possible approaches to the key challenges of atural product work, for example choice of sources and screens, avoiding known metabolites and obtaining sufficient compound for biological evaluation, are discussed.     

Coccygeal muscle injury in English Pointers (limber tail)

A condition colloquially referred to as "limber tail" and "cold tail" is familiar to people working with hunting dogs, primarily Pointers and Labrador Retrievers. The typical case consists of an adult dog that suddenly develops a flaccid tail. The tail either hangs down from the tail base or is held out horizontally for several inches from the tail base and then hangs straight down or at some degree below horizontal. Initially, the hair on the dorsal aspect of the proximal tail may be raised and dogs may resent palpation of the area 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) from the tail base. Most dogs recover spontaneously within a few days to weeks. Anecdotal reports suggest that anti-inflammatory drugs administered within 24 hours after onset hasten recovery. Less than one half of affected dogs experience a recurrence. Affected Pointers almost always have a history of prolonged cage transport, a hard workout the previous day, or exposure to cold or wet weather Most owners and trainers familiar with the condition do not seek veterinary assistance. In cases where people are not familiar with this disease, other conditions such as a fracture, spinal cord disease, impacted anal glands, or prostatic disease have been incorrectly diagnosed. We examined 4 affected Pointers and found evidence of coccygeal muscle damage, which included mild elevation of creatine kinase early after onset of clinical signs, needle electromyographic examination showing abnormal spontaneous discharges restricted to the coccygeal muscles several days after onset, and histopathologic evidence of muscle fiber damage. Specific muscle groups, namely the laterally positioned intertransversarius ventralis caudalis muscles, were affected most severely. Abnormal findings on thermography and scintigraphy further supported the diagnosis.     

Residues of tetrachlorvinphos and its breakdown products on treated crops. I.—Method development

Procedures are described for the analysis of crops for residues of tetrachlorvinphos (Gardona, trans-isomer of dimethyl 1-(2′,4′,5′-trichlorophenyl)-2-chloroyinyl phosphate) insecticide together with methods for the analysis for residues of its isomer and its conjugated and non-conjugated breakdown products. Suitable procedures for the extraction are described together with procedures for the cleanup of the extracts by partition or column chromatography and final analysis down to 0·01 ppm or less by gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection.     

Determination of residues of the molluscicide trifenmorph and its breakdown product triphenylcarbinol: I.—Method

A procedure has been developed for the analysis of crops and soils for residues of trifenmorph (N-trityl-morpholine) molluscicide and its breakdown product triphenylcarbinol (TPC). Samples were extracted with 20% by vol. acetone in petroleum ether and the efficiency of the extraction was established using radiochemical techniques. The extracts were subjected to column chromatography on basic alumina columns to separate trifenmorph from the TPC. The residues were converted to trichloroethyl ether derivatives followed by clean-up by column chromatography on silica gel and analysis of down to 0·02 ng by gas-liquid chromatography. Blank values were generally 0·01–0·02 ppm, recoveries were on average about 80% and were limited to this value by the yield of the etherification reaction. The storage stability of the residues at —10°c was satisfactory.