Chemical Defenses of Insects: A Rich Resource for Chemical Biology in the Tropics

Abstract

Insects make up the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, contributing to as much as 80-90% of the world's biodiversity. Approximately 950,000 species of insects have been described; some estimate there are 4,000,000+ species in total. Over 70% of drugs on the market are derived from natural compounds. However, insects are one of the least explored groups in drug discovery. The world adds about 70 million people each year. In this chapter you will find: (1) an introduction to the topic of arthropod chemical biodiversity and chemical defense; (2) a brief discussion on various uses of insect chemistry by various cultures; (3) an overview of insect venoms and other chemical defense studies, with a case study on methods utilized to analyze ant venoms; (4) a short discussion on the importance of preserving tropical habitats for bioprospecting; (5) a review of research on stick insect (Order Phasmatodea) chemical defenses, stick insects as a model for biosynthesis studies and my personal experiences with the editors of this book and 2008 PASI workshop in Peru which resulted in this chapter; (6) an overview of examples from the literature of insect-derived substances with medicinally relevant biological properties such as toxins and antibiotics; (7) a brief description of the importance of studying biosynthetic pathways in insects and other organisms from whence valuable natural products are identified and (8) a list of recommended literature which I expect would be of particular interest to the readers of this chapter. (This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employee(s) on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.)