PROSPECTING FOR POTENTIAL INSECTICIDES

我们一直在研究森林砍伐对生物多样性的影响 哥斯达黎加的热带森林树木。在这份提案中，我们希望 检查潜在杀虫剂的存在，这将干扰 昆虫的重要过程之一，即硬化性 外骨骼。在世界范围内，昆虫将各种各样的疾病传播到 人类和动物一样，破坏了许多农产品。 过去与合成杀虫剂有关的问题迫使 科学家将寻找自然发生和可生物降解的材料 对环境造成较小破坏的杀虫剂。自.以来 外骨骼的硬化对大多数IF的生存至关重要 不是所有的昆虫，它形成了一个很好的开发新的目标 杀虫剂。这方面在过去没有被探索过。因此我们 将集中在维管束植物的各种提取物的作用 (包括豆科和十字花科)、苔藓植物、 三种药剂对昆虫和软体动物角质层硬化的影响 测试生物体，即六分叶蝉、水泡石棺和果蝇 黑猩猩。提取物将在分离的酶上进行测试 酚氧化酶、苯二酚异构酶、甲基苯醌等体系 异构酶，N-酰基多巴胺脱饱和酶(由以上三种组成 酶)和多巴色素异构酶，以及在整个角质层以及 整只动物。潜在的抑制剂将被开发用于商业 使用。简单的化合物可以很容易地合成并用于商业用途 杀虫剂。然而，具有复杂结构的化合物将是 从商业用途的植物或动物提取物中分离出来的。该项目 将与来自生物多样性的科学家合作实施 年印度国家生物多样性研究所勘探处 哥斯达黎加。

We have been studying the effect of deforestation on the biodiversity of tropical forest trees in Costa Rica. In this proposal we want to examine the presence of potential insecticides that would interfere with one of the vital processes of insects namely sclerotization of exoskeleton. Worldwide, insects transmit a wide variety diseases to humans as well as animals and destroy lot of agricultural products. Problems associated with synthetic insecticides in the past forced scientists to search for naturally occurring and biodegradable insecticides that would cause less damage to the environment. Since sclerotization of exoskeleton is essential for the survival of most if not all insects, it forms a nice target for the development of new insecticides. This aspect has not been explored in the past. Hence we will focus on the effect of various extracts from vascular plants (including the Leguminosae family and the Meliaceae family), bryophytes, insects and mollusks on the sclerotization of insect cuticle using three test organisms viz., Manduca sexta, sarcophaga bullata and Drosophila melanogaster. The extracts will be tested both on the isolated enzyme systems such as phenoloxidase, quinone isomerase, quinone methide isomerase, N-acyldopamine desaturase (which consists of the above three enzymes) and dopachrome isomerase and on the whole cuticle as well as whole animals. Potential inhibitors will be developed for commercial use. Simple compounds can be easily synthesized and used as commercial insecticides. However, compounds with complex structures will be isolated from plant or animal extracts for commercial use. The project will be implemented in collaboration with scientists from Biodiversity prospecting division of INBio (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad) in Costa Rica.