Sesquiterpenes of Lactarius origin, antifeedant structure-activity relationships

Abstract Antifeedant activity of 53 sesquiterpenes of Lactarius origin was measured against the storage pests Tribolium confusum, Trogoderma granarium and Sitophilus granarius . The activities of the compounds are discussed in relation to their structures and oxidation state. Conclusions concerning structure-activity relationships have been drawn. It was found that compounds with lactarane and marasmane skeletons were more active than isolactaranes. Also an increasing number of hydroxyl groups present in a molecule decreased its activity. Generally compounds of natural origin, with the exception of keto derivatives, possessed stronger activity than their chemically modified analogues.