Pim kinases play a key role in the regulation of signaling pathways including proliferation, migration, and metabolism and are a potential target for cancer therapy. A series of 5-benzylidenethiazolidine-2,4-diones were synthesized as pim kinase inhibitors. The structure-activity relationships (SAR) of the analogues in inhibiting in vitro pim kinase activity as well as the proliferation of leukemia cell lines were examined. SAR studies indicated that a hydroxyl group at the 2-position of the benzene ring of 5-benzylidenethiazolidine-2,4-dione plays an important role in the inhibitory activity against all three pim kinases and replacement with a pyrazinyl group at the 5-position of the benzene ring of 5-benzylidenethiazolidine-2,4-dione improved activity significantly. The compounds exerted anti-proliferative activity against the three leukemia cell lines we tested. The most potent compound, 5i, had an EC 50 value of 0.8 µM in the MV4-11 cell line. The result of kinase profiling indicated that compound 5i was highly selective for pim-kinases.

The pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchidae) poses a serious threat to pine forests in Europe and East Asia, leading to a debilitating pine wilt disease. Infected pine trees in Korea are generally fumigated or crushed to small wood chips after felling. Although pine wilt disease often recurs in pest management sites, there are no adequate means to monitor the effectiveness of pest control measures in those sites. Recently, a male-produced aggregation pheromone, 2-(undecyloxy)ethanol, was shown to be useful for attracting several Monochamus species, which are vectors for the pinewood nematodes. In this study, we investigated the abilities of 2-(undecyloxy)ethanol at three different doses (175, 350, and 700 mg), as well as host plant volatiles (α-pinene and ethanol), to attract M. alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) at a pine forest in Pohang, Korea where infected pine trees had been cut down and fumigated. Twenty-seven M. alternatus were captured in cross-vane panel traps made of polyethylene terephthalate bottles and acrylic sheets. The results indicate that a high dose of 2-(undecyloxy)ethanol (700 mg per trap) is the most effective for attracting M. alternatus. The aggregation pheromone could be used to monitor the effectiveness of pest control measures as well as M. alternatus populations.