Only a small percentage of insect species are pests. However, pest species cause significant losses in agricultural and forest crops, and many are vectors of diseases. Currently, many scientists are focused on developing new tools to control insect populations, including secondary plant metabolites, e.g., alkaloids, glycoalkaloids, terpenoids, organic acids and alcohols, which show promise for use in plant protection. These compounds can affect insects at all levels of biological organization, but their action generally disturbs cellular and physiological processes, e.g., by altering redox balance, hormonal regulation, neuronal signalization or reproduction in exposed individuals. Secondary plant metabolites cause toxic effects that can be observed at both lethal and sublethal levels, but the most important effect is repellence. Plants from the Solanaceae family, which contains numerous economically and ecologically important species, produce various substances that affect insects belonging to most orders, particularly herbivorous insects and other pests. Many compounds possess insecticidal properties, but they are also classified as molluscides, acaricides, nematocides, fungicides and bactericides. In this paper, we present data on the sublethal and lethal toxicity caused by pure metabolites and crude extracts obtained from Solanaceae plants. Pure substances as well as water and/or alcohol extracts cause lethal and sublethal effects in insects, which is important from the economical point of view. We discuss the results of our study and their relevance to plant protection and management.
Glycoalkaloids, the biologically active secondary metabolites produced by Solanaceae plants, are natural defenses against animals, insects and fungi. In this paper, the effects of glycoalkaloids present in extracts of Solanaceae plants (potato, tomato and black nightshade) or pure commercial glycoalkaloids on the coleopteran Zophobas atratus F. were evaluated by in vitro and in vivo bioassays using heart experimental models. Each tested extract induced a dose-dependent cardioinhibitory effect. The perfusion of Zophobas atratus semi-isolated heart using the highest potato and tomato extract concentration (1 mmol/L) caused irreversible cardiac arrests, while extract from black nightshade produced fast but reversible arrests. Pure commercial glycoalkaloids caused similar but less evident effects compared with extracts. Our results showed that the bioactivity of tested compounds depended on their structure and suggested the existence of synergistic interactions when combinations of the main glycoalkaloids of potato and black nightshade were used for trials. Surprisingly, injection of tomato and potato extracts in 1-day-old pupae of Zophobas atratus induced reversible positive chronotropic effects and decreased the duration of the both phases (anterograde and retrograde) of the heart contractile activity. Furthermore, these extracts affected the amplitude of the heart contractions.
Glycoalkaloids are secondary metabolites commonly found in Solanaceae plants. They have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and insecticidal activities. In the present study we examine the effects of potato and tomato leaf extracts and their main components, the glycoalkaloids α-solanine, α-chaconine and α-tomatine, on development and reproduction of Drosophila melanogaster wild-type flies at different stages. Parental generation was exposed to five different concentrations of tested substances. The effects were examined also on the next, non-exposed generation. In the first (exposed) generation, addition of each extract reduced the number of organisms reaching the pupal and imaginal stages. Parent insects exposed to extracts and metabolites individually applied showed faster development. However, the effect was weaker in case of single metabolites than in case of exposure to extracts. An increase of developmental rate was also observed in the next, non-exposed generation. The imagoes of both generations exposed to extracts and pure metabolites showed some anomalies in body size and malformations, such as deformed wings and abdomens, smaller black abdominal zone. Our results further support the current idea that Solanaceae can be an impressive source of molecules, which could efficaciously be used in crop protection, as natural extract or in formulation of single pure metabolites in sustainable agriculture.
Within the family of Brassicaceae, an important source of glucosinolates (GLSs) is represented by horseradish ( Armoracia rusticana P. Gaertner, B. Meyer & Scherbius), cultivated for its roots, which are grated fresh or processed into a sauce and used as a condiment. The characteristic pungent flavor of the root depends on the abundance of the bioactive GLS molecules. In crude plant extracts (sprouts and roots) of an accession of horseradish largely diffused in the Basilicata region (southern Italy), which develops many sprouts and produces white, fiery, and sharp-flavored marketable roots, we characterized the GLS profile by LC-ESI-LTQ-FTICR-MS and IRMPD. In sprouts and roots we identified 16 and 11 GLSs, respectively. We confirmed the presence of sinigrin, 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, glucobrassicin, gluconasturtin, and 4-methoxyglucobrassicin and identified glucoiberin, gluconapin, glucocochlearin, glucoconringianin, glucosativin, glucoibarin, 5-hydroxyglucobrassicin, glucocapparilinearisin or glucobrassicanapin, glucotropaeolin, and glucoarabishirsutain, not previously characterized in horseradish. Of particular note was the presence of the putative 2-methylsulfonyl-oxo-ethyl-GLS.
Plant allelochemicals are nonnutritional chemicals that interfere with the biology of herbivores. We posed the hypothesis that ingestion of a glycoalkaloid allelochemical, α-solanine, impairs biological parameters of greater wax moths Galleria mellonella. To test this idea, we reared wax moths on artificial diets with 0.015, 0.15, or 1.5 mg/100 g diet of α-solanine. Addition of α-solanine to the diet affected survival of seventh-instar larvae, pupae, and adults; and female fecundity and fertility. The diet containing the highest α-solanine concentration led to decreased survivorship, fecundity, and fertility. The diets supplemented with α-solanine led to increased malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl contents in midgut and fat body and the effect was dose-dependent. Dietary α-solanine led to increased midgut glutathione S-transferase activity and to decreased fat body glutathione S-transferase activitiy. We infer from these findings that α-solanine influences life history parameters and antioxidative enzyme activities in the midgut and fat body of G. mellonella.
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