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。 在本提案中，我们希望 检查是否存在可能干扰 昆虫的重要过程之一，即 外骨骼在世界范围内，昆虫传播各种疾病， 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 科学家们寻找自然发生和生物降解 杀虫剂对环境的危害较小。 以来 外骨骼的硬化对于大多数人的生存至关重要， 不是所有的昆虫，它形成了一个很好的目标，为发展新的 杀虫剂这方面过去没有探讨过。因此我们 将重点介绍维管植物的各种提取物的作用 （包括豆科和楝科），苦豆属， 昆虫和软体动物对昆虫角质层硬化的影响 测试生物体即，天蛾、大泡肉蝇和果蝇 黑腹菌提取物将在分离的酶上进行测试 系统如酚氧化酶、醌异构酶、醌甲基化物 异构酶、N-酰基多巴胺去饱和酶（其由上述三种异构酶组成 酶）和多巴色素异构酶和整个角质层，以及 整个动物。将开发潜在的抑制剂用于商业用途 使用.简单的化合物可以很容易地合成并用作商业用途。 杀虫剂然而，具有复杂结构的化合物将是 从植物或动物提取物中分离出来用于商业用途。项目 将与来自生物多样性的科学家合作实施 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.