Insecticidal Triterpenes in Meliaceae III: Plant Species, Molecules, and Activities in .

Plants of the Meliaceae family have long attracted researchers' interest due to their various insecticidal activities, with triterpenes being the main active ingredients. In this paper, we discuss triterpenoids with insecticidal activity from insecticidal plant species of genera (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , and ) in the family Meliaceae. Among these genera, deserves further research, with twelve species possessing insecticidal activity. The insecticidal molecules included ring-seco limonoids (comprising ring A-seco group chemical, ring B-seco group chemical, ring D-seco group chemicals, rings A,B-seco group chemicals, rings B,D-seco group chemicals, and rings A,B,D-seco group chemical), ring-intact limonoids (comprising cedrelone-class chemicals, trichilin-class chemicals, havanensin-class chemicals, azadirone-class chemicals, vilasinin-class chemical, and other chemical), 2,30-linkage chemicals (comprising mexicanolide-class chemicals and phragmalin-class chemicals), 1,n-linkage-group chemicals, onoceranoid-type triterpenoids, apotirucallane-type terpenoids, kokosanolide-type tetranortriterpenoids, and cycloartane triterpene. In particular, molecules showed antifeedant activity, molecules exhibited poisonous effects, and molecules possessed growth regulatory activity. Particularly, khayasin, beddomei lactone, 3β,24,25-trihydroxycycloartane, humilinolides A-E and methyl-2-hydroxy-3β-isobutyroxy-1-oxomeliac-8(30)-enate showed excellent insecticidal activities, which were comparable to that of azadirachtin and thus deserved more attention. Moreover, it was noteworthy that various chemicals (such as 12α-diacetoxywalsuranolide, 11β,12α-diacetoxycedrelone, 1α,7α,12α-triacetoxy-4α-carbomethoxy-11β-hydroxy-14β,15β-epoxyhavanensin, and 11-epi-21-hydroxytoonacilide, etc.) from showed excellent insecticidal activity. Specially, the insecticidal activity of khayasin from against the coconut leaf beetle were similar to that of rotenone. Therefore, it was a promising candidate insecticide for the control of the coconut leaf beetle.