Effects of azadirachtin and of simpler epoxy-alcohols on survival and behaviour of Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera)

Abstract:  Investigations into the toxicity of three simpler molecules based on the epoxy-alcohol fragment of azadirachtin have revealed insecticidal activity on the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella L. larvae. The simpler epoxy-alcohols doses giving 50% mortalities (LD₅₀) for G. mellonella larvae were in the increasing order from glycidol (0.022 mg/g), 4,5-epoxy-2-pentanol (0.068 mg/g) and finally, glycerol diglycidyl ether (0.147 mg/g). The three epoxy-alcohols exhibited higher insecticidal activity when compared with the commercial neem product for which the dose giving 50% mortalities was 10.6 mg/g and to azadirachtin that killed the larvae only by injection (dose of 0.20 mg/g of larvae body weight). Our results confirm the importance of the epoxy-alcohol junction between the two parts of the azadirachtin molecule for the biological activity. Other effects of the epoxy-alcohols tested were blackening of larvae and morphological deformities of some adults hatching. In future, the molecules should be complexified (degree of ramification, length of chain and presence of bulky ramified substituent) to obtain an insecticide as toxic for insects only and environmentally safe as azadirachtin but more stable, and their physiological activities on insect's tissues and cells should be studied.