An amphiphilic, PK/PBAN analog is a selective pheromonotropic antagonist that penetrates the cuticle of a heliothine insect.

A linear pyrokinin (PK)/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) antagonist lead (RYF[dF]PRLa) was structurally modified to impart amphiphilic properties to enhance its ability to transmigrate the hydrophobic cuticle of noctuid moth species and yet retain aqueous solubility in the hemolymph to reach target PK/PBAN receptors within the internal insect environment. The resulting novel PK/PBAN analog, Hex-Suc-A[dF]PRLa (PPK-AA), was synthesized and evaluated as an antagonist in a pheromonotropic assay in Heliothis peltigera against 4 natural PK/PBAN peptide elicitors (PBAN; pheromonotropin, PT; myotropin, MT; leucopyrokinin, LPK) and in a melanotropic assay in Spodoptera littoralis against 3 natural PK/PBAN peptide elicitors (PBAN, PT, LPK). The analog proved to be a potent and efficacious inhibitor of sex pheromone biosynthesis elicited by PBAN (84% at 100 pmol) and PT (54% at 100 pmol), but not by MT and LPK. PPK-AA is a selective pure antagonist (i.e., does not exhibit any agonistic activity) as it failed to inhibit melanization elicited by any of the natural PK/PBAN peptides. The analog was shown to transmigrate isolated cuticle dissected from adult female Heliothis virescens moths to a high extent of 25-30% (130-150 pmol), representing physiologically significant quantities. PPK-AA represents a significant addition to the arsenal of tools available to arthropod endocrinologists studying the endogenous mechanisms of PK/PBAN regulated processes, and a prototype for the development of environmentally friendly pest management agents capable of disrupting the critical process of reproduction.

Evaluation of a PK/PBAN analog with an (E)-alkene, trans-Pro isostere identifies the Pro orientation for activity in four diverse PK/PBAN bioassays.

The pyrokinin/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PK/PBAN) family plays a multifunctional role in an array of important physiological processes in a variety of insects. An active core analog containing an (E)-alkene, trans-Pro isosteric component was evaluated in four disparate PK/PBAN bioassays in four different insect species. These bioassays include pheromone biosynthesis in the moth Heliothis peltigera, melanization in the larval Spodoptera littoralis, pupariation acceleration in the larval fly Neobellieria bullata, and hindgut contraction in the cockroach Leucophaea maderae. The conformationally constrained analog demonstrated activity equivalent to parent PK/PBAN peptides of equal length in all four PK/PBAN bioassays, and matched and/or approached the activity of peptides of natural length in three of them. In the melanization bioassay, the constrained analog exceeded the efficacy (maximal response) of the natural PBAN1-33 by a factor of 2 (at 1nmol). The results provide strong evidence for the orientation of Pro and the core conformation adopted by PK/PBAN neuropeptides during interaction with receptors associated with a range of disparate PK/PBAN bioassays. The work further identifies a scaffold with which to design mimetic PK/PBAN analogs as potential leads in the development of environmentally favorable pest management agents capable of disrupting PK/PBAN-regulated systems.