Escuela de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia-sede Medellín, Cra 65 59ª-110, Medellín, Colombia.
Grupo de Grupo de Sustancias Activas y Biotecnología (SaBio), Escuela de Biociencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia-sede Medellín, Cra 65 59ª-110, Medellín, Colombia.
J Chem Ecol. 2020 Aug;46(8):668-674. doi: 10.1007/s10886-020-01170-w. Epub 2020 Mar 16.
Plants of the Piperaceae family are studied for their diverse secondary metabolism with a vast array of compounds that act as chemical defense agents against herbivores. Of all the agricultural pests, the management of insects is a highly significant challenge in the Neotropics, and ants of the Attini tribe pose a major problem. Due to their symbiotic association with the fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (Möller) Singer (Agaricaceae), the species of Atta and Acromyrmex have exhaustive foraging activity which has intensified as deforestation and monoculture farming have increased. The control of leaf-cutting ants is still carried out with synthetic products with negative consequences to the environment and human health. In search for natural and sustainable alternatives to synthetic pesticides, Piper holtonii C. DC. was selected among other plant species after field observations of the foraging activity of Atta cephalotes, which revealed that P. holtonii was never chosen by ants. In vitro evaluation of an ethanol extract of the leaves of P. holtonii resulted in promising inhibitory activity (IC 102 ppm) against L. gongylophorus. Subsequently, bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of the phenylpropanoid dillapiole, which was also detected in the essential oil. This compound demonstrated inhibition of the fungus with an IC of 38 ppm. Considering the symbiotic relationship between the Attini ants and L. gongylophorus, the negative effect on the survival of one of the organisms will affect the survival of the other, so dillapiole or standardized essential oil extracts of P. holtonii containing this active principle could be a unique and useful source as a control agent for leaf cutting-ants.
胡椒科植物因其多样化的次生代谢产物而受到研究，这些化合物作为化学防御剂，抵御食草动物。在所有农业害虫中，对昆虫的管理是新热带地区面临的一个重大挑战，而 Attini 部落的蚂蚁则构成了一个主要问题。由于它们与 Leucoagaricus gongylophorus（Möller）Singer（伞菌科）真菌的共生关系，Atta 和 Acromyrmex 物种具有详尽的觅食活动，随着森林砍伐和单一栽培农业的增加，这种活动加剧了。对切叶蚁的控制仍然是使用对环境和人类健康有负面影响的合成产品进行的。为了寻找天然的、可持续的替代合成农药的方法，在观察到 Atta cephalotes 的觅食活动后，选择了 Piper holtonii C. DC. 作为其他植物物种之一，因为观察到 P. holtonii 从未被蚂蚁选择过。对 P. holtonii 叶片的乙醇提取物进行的体外评估显示出对 L. gongylophorus 的有希望的抑制活性（IC 102 ppm）。随后，生物测定指导的分离导致分离出苯丙烷类化合物 dillapiole，该化合物也存在于精油中。该化合物对真菌的抑制作用的 IC 为 38 ppm。考虑到 Attini 蚂蚁和 L. gongylophorus 之间的共生关系，对其中一个生物体的生存的负面影响将影响另一个生物体的生存，因此 dillapiole 或含有该活性成分的 P. holtonii 的标准化精油提取物可能是作为控制切叶蚁的一种独特而有用的来源。
