Insecticidal compounds from Phellodendron amurense active against Drosophila melanogaster

✍ Scribed by Mitsuo Miyazawa; Jun Fujioka; Yukio Ishikawa

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 105 KB
• Volume: 82
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.1112

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

In the course of screening for novel naturally occurring insecticides from Chinese crude drugs, the methanolic extract of the bark of Phellodendron amurense Rupr was found to show insecticidal activity against larvae of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen. Two alkaloids, berberine (1) and palmatine (2), were isolated by bioassay‐guided fractionation of the extract. Insecticidal activity against larvae of D melanogaster was demonstrated; 1 and 2 gave LC~50~ values of 2.44 and 8.45 µmol ml^−1^ diet respectively. Acute toxicity against adult D melanogaster was also found; 1 had the more potent activity, with an LD~50~ value of 19.0 µg per adult. However, 2 had weak activity in this study. Therefore 1 was identified as an insecticidal compound from the bark of P amurense Rupr.

© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry