Insect Pheromone Olfaction: New Targets for the Design of Species-Selective Pest Control Agents

• Published in: Current medicinal chemistry Vol. 9; no. 10; pp. 1075 - 1085
• Main Author: PLETTNER, Erika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Schiphol Bentham Science Publishers Ltd 01.05.2002; Bentham Science
• Subjects: Animal Communication; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical control; Control; Design; Drug Design; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Insect control; Insect Control - methods; Insecta - drug effects; Insecta - physiology; Insecticides - chemical synthesis; Insecticides - chemistry; Insecticides - pharmacology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - physiology; Olfaction; Olfactory Pathways - chemistry; Olfactory Pathways - drug effects; Olfactory Pathways - physiology; Pest control; Pests; Pheromones - antagonists & inhibitors; Pheromones - chemistry; Pheromones - physiology; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Protozoa. Invertebrates; Sexual Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Species Specificity; Structure-Activity Relationship; Terpenoid; Insecticide; Mating disruption; Insecta; Pest and disease control; Pesticides; Electrophysiology; Lactone; Pheromone; Species specificity; Review; Hemiacetal; Spiran; Enynic compound; Macrocycle; Acetal; Structure activity relation; Arthropoda; Analog; Olfaction; Inhibitor; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0929-8673; 1875-533X
• DOI: 10.2174/0929867024606669

Insects communicate extensively with chemical signals specific to their species (pheromones). The highly sensitive and selective olfactory system involved in detection of these signals has attracted attention as a target for the design of novel pest control agents. This review summarizes efforts in understanding the structure-activity relationships of pheromone olfaction and in the design of compounds that selectively interfere with transport, recognition and degradation of pheromones in the peripheral olfactory system. Pheromone olfaction inhibitors are potential environmentally benign insect control agents.