Inhibitors of Mitochondrial Electron Transport: Acaricides and Insecticides

This chapter presents insecticidal/acaricidal mitochondrial electron transport inhibitors with respect to their molecular target proteins, the electron transport complexes I, II, and III. It considers natural products and synthetic inhibitors that are listed in most recent version of Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) mode of action (MoA) classification scheme. The chapter also presents recent details of their inhibitory mechanisms, inhibitor resistance mutations, and structural information on their binding modes. Mitochondrial complex I is by far the largest redox enzyme complex. Enzyme kinetic and binding studies with membrane-bound or partially purified complex I have shown that natural products such as rotenone, piericidin A, and acetogenins, as well as synthetic insecticides and acaricides. Mitochondrial complex II is the molecular target of recently developed acaricides included in main group 25 of the IRAC MoA classification scheme. Cyenopyrafen and cyflometofen are β-ketonitrile compounds which are structurally distinct from the third member of the group, the carboxanilide pyflubumide.