Topical mosquito repellents XIII: Cyclic analogs of lactic acid.

Numerous cyclic analogs of lactic acid were synthesized to ascertain whether they might act as agonists of antagonists of lactic acid, a known attractant for mosquitoes. These compounds were evaluated with an in vitro blood-feeding test system and an in vivo cloth test. Two of the compounds in the blood-feeding test system showed biphasic results, acting as attractants at low concentrations and as repellents at higher concentrations. Several compounds (III, V, VII, and X) repelled Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the blood-feeding test system. However, in the in vivo cloth test system, only III repelled the mosquitoes significantly.