Azole selenourea disrupted the midgut and caused malformed development of Plutella xylostella

Abstract

Chemical insecticides targeting the digestive system of diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, have not been developed. The discovery of an insecticide with novel mode of action is a challenge for the control of DBM. In this study, a class of selenium- and difluoromethyl-modified azoles (fluoroazole selenoureas, FASU) were designed and synthesized for the control of DBM. Of these azoles, compound B4 showed the highest insecticidal activity against DBM. The LC50 of third- and second-instar larvae reached 32.3 and 4.6 μg mL–1, respectively. The midgut tissue of larvae was severely disrupted, and the larval intestinal tissue was dotted with unique red spots after treatment with compound B4. Compound B4 led to disintegration of the peritrophic matrix, swelling of the midgut epithelium, fracture of the microvilli, and extensive leakage of cellular debris in the midgut lumen. Surviving larvae grew very slowly, and the larval duration was significantly prolonged after exposure to compound B4 at sublethal doses (LC10, LC25 and LC50). Furthermore, the pupation rate, emergence rate and pupae weight were significantly decreased. Compound B4 also induced abnormal pupae, causing adults to be trapped in the cocoon or failure to fly due to twisted wings. These results demonstrated that FASU could reduce the population of DBM in sublethal doses. FASU is the first synthetic insecticidal lead compound that has been shown to disrupt the midgut tissue of the larvae of DBM, and its mode of action totally differs from that of commercial chemical insecticides.