Elucidação estrutural e síntese de feromônios sexuais de insetos: avanços no controle de pragas agrícolas e do vetor da Leishmaniose Visceral

Abstract

Insects are able to cause severe damages to men, either by attacking crops or by transmitting disease causative agents. Agribusiness deals with billions of dollars per year and generates jobs and income, especially in the poorest parts of the country. The attack of pest insects is a major cause of the yield reduction of main crops of sugarcane and cashew tree in Brazil. In the context of public health, mosquitoes are responsible for spreading protozoa, which cause neglected diseases in underdeveloped regions of tropical countries, highlighting visceral leishmaniasis, which may lead to death of the host, either human or other mammals. Pesticides are still the main resource used to control insects in rural areas. Nevertheless, the search for alternatives is required, aiming to reduce health hazard, to maintain environment security and to produce pesticide-free food. Reducing insect population represents a useful tool in the fight against the disease and, in this sphere, it’s possible to highlight the use of pheromones as an efficient and environmentally safe control instrument. The present work aims to propose synthetic pathways to produce 9-Decenyl, (E)-7-Decenyl and (Z)-7-Decenyl acetates, sex pheromones of cashew nut borer, Anacampsis phytomiella, and 2'-Methylbutanoyl-2-methylbutylamine, sex pheromone of Migdolus fryanus. We also describe the identification of diterpene (3E,8Z)-4,8,12,15,15-Pentamethybicyclo[9.3.1]pentadeca-3,8,11-triene, a new sex pheromone of sanfly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, vector of visceral leishmaniasis. Furthermore, we synthetized its precursor, (E)-2-Alil-3,3-dimethyl-4-(3,7-dimethylocta-2,7-dienyl)-cycloexanone.