Revisão bibliográfica da ação inseticidas de lectinas

Abstract

The present work has as main objective to talk about the insecticidal action of some lectins. Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins, coming from several organisms, whose main characteristic is the recognition of carbohydrates in a specific and reversible way. The great diversity of lectins is associated with their presence in most organisms, with primordial functions. It can present several biological activities. Plant lectins have shown the ability to impair the development of insects of different orders, but the mode of action of these proteins has not yet been fully elucidated. Some of these mechanisms are:bacteriostatic and bactericidal action on the intestinal mycobiota of insects and alteration in the activity of enzymes related to the process of nutrient digestion; inhibition of enzymes that control reactive oxygen species; delay in larval development; modification in reproductive activity, with ovicidal activity; and peritrophic matrix damage, an important intestinal membrane related to insect protection against external agents and nutrient absorption. In the future, lectins could be used as biotechnological tools to control pests that attack plantations of economic importance.