D. Hedley et al., PROINSECTICIDES EFFECTIVE AGAINST INSECTICIDE-RESISTANT PEACH-POTATO APHID (MYZUS-PERSICAE (SULZER)), Pesticide science, 53(3), 1998, pp. 201-208
A range of potential proinsecticides was synthesised and tested agains
t insecticide-susceptible and -resistant clones of Myzus persicae (Sul
zer). They were all esters of compounds known to be toxic or pharmacol
ogically active, and were designed to have increased lipophilicity and
to be subject to more rapid activation by hydrolysis in resistant tha
n in susceptible aphids due to the increased amount of esterase presen
t in the resistant clones. The most potent toxins were esters of monof
luoroacetic acid. When applied topically, the toxicity of these esters
to M. persicae was directly proportional to the esterase content of t
he aphids. Such compounds would not be suitable as commercial insectic
ides, but the results serve to illustrate the potential benefits of ex
ploiting a resistance mechanism against one class of compounds to rend
er another class more toxic, i.e. to design compounds that show negati
ve cross-resistance. (C) 1998 SCI.