昆虫激肽是一类高度保守的小分子神经活性物质,自其从马德拉蟑螂脑中分离得到至今,人们在多种无脊椎动物体内均发现了这一激肽家族成员。它们具有促进昆虫后肠收缩、马氏管扭动、原尿分泌,调节血淋巴量和水盐平衡,使马氏管跨膜电位去极化,抑制昆虫体内消化酶释放、幼虫体重增长等功能。然而,天然的昆虫激肽很容易被蛋白酶所降解,因此须对其进行结构改造及构效关系研究,以开发出更有潜力的假肽和非肽模拟抗酶解昆虫激肽类似物,对今后实现环境友好型害虫防治策略具有重要意义。
Insect kinin is a kind of micromolecular neuroactive substances. Since it was for the first time isolated from head extracts of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae, members of this family were found in most species of invertebrates. They play important roles in insect hindgut contraction, Malpighian tubes twisting, primary urine secretion, modulation of hemolymph, water-salt balance, depolarization of the transepithelial potential, restrain of digestive enzyme release and weight gain of larva. However, natural insect kinins are easily degraded by peptidases. Therefore, structural modification and study of structure- activity relationship could promote the development of more potential pseudopeptides and non-peptide analogs, which are significant for the implement of environment friendly pest control strategy in future.