Enantioselective toxicity of pyriproxyfen to Apis mellifera and Sclerodermus guani and its impact on key genes in the juvenile hormone pathway.

Authors

Lixia Zou, Wenjing Cao, Yan Fang, Jialin Liang, Yongheng Zhang, Suosheng Huang, Honghong Li, Xuesheng Li

Published in

Journal of hazardous materials. Volume 515. Pages 142961. Jul 09, 2026. Epub Jul 09, 2026.

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that the vast majority of insects, including the Apis mellifera, synthesize R-juvenile hormone III (R-JH III) to regulate critical biological functions such as metamorphosis and reproduction. However, Sclerodermus guani specifically synthesizes S-JH III. The primary function of pyriproxyfen (existing as R- and S-enantiomers) is to disrupt insect JH III titers. However, the stereoselective interference of pyriproxyfen enantiomers with different JH III stereoisomers and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Our study revealed that S-pyriproxyfen exhibited higher acute toxicity to both insects. R-pyriproxyfen more effectively suppressed JH levels in A. mellifera (R-JH III), while S-pyriproxyfen exerted a stronger inhibitory effect on JH in S. guani (S-JH III), demonstrating clear stereoselectivity in their activity. S-pyriproxyfen significantly reduced A. mellifera queen egg-laying (45.4%) and S. guani parasitism rate (67.7%), fecundity (43.8%) via downregulating vitellogenin. Mechanistically, the enantiomers exhibited distinct regulatory patterns on key JH pathway genes. In A. mellifera, R-pyriproxyfen significantly inhibited the terminal JH synthesis enzyme CYP15A1 and upregulated the JH receptor Met and its downstream target Kr-h1, with a concentration-associated effect in worker bees. In contrast, in S. guani, S-pyriproxyfen markedly induced the JH degradation enzyme JHEH and upregulated JHBP and Met, while R-pyriproxyfen showed no significant effects. These findings reveal that the stereoselective action of exogenous pyriproxyfen is associated with the JH III stereochemistry of target insects. This correspondence between pesticide activity and stereochemical configuration may stem from the selective preference of functional proteins in insects for specific stereoisomers. We hypothesize that the stronger interference activity of pyriproxyfen enantiomers with JH of the same configuration may result from enhanced stereoselective deception. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the rational application of chiral pesticides.

PMID:
42447583
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

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