Naphthoquinones termites

Polyket macrolides 27-29 membered (African termite Pseudacanthotermes spiniger Plasman 1999) naphthoQuinones granaticin Streptomyces olivaceus, Actinom., Bad. from soil in W Africa Ml) orthosomicins eveminomicin (Micromonospora carbonacea var. qfricana, Bact. frtan Kenya Nicolaou 1999)... 

Methyl, 2-hydroxymethyl-, and 2-formylanthraquinones in the heart wood of teak (Tectona grandis, Verbenaceae) are effective in inhibiting termite activity (105). Several naphthoquinone derivatives including lapachol are thought to impart marine borer resistance to woods, e.q. that of Tabebuia quayacan (Bignoniaceae) (108). 

Numerous plant species have been reported to be resistant to attack from subterranean termites. Many of these plants and extracts derived from them were tested for leads as potential natural product basexl pesticides. Forty plant and tree extracts reported to be active against termites displayed poor activity against the Formosan subterranean termite at rates < 0.5% wt/wt. Most naphthoquinones were active with a non-polar substitution in the 2-position. Anthroquinones generally had little termiticidal activity. None of the plant extracts or natural products tested were sufficiently active to be considered useful for control of the Formosan subterranean termite without structural modification. 

Naphthoquinone (compound 1), 1,2-naphthoquinone (compound 2), and menadione (compound 3) were reported to have termite activity (79) of which we found only menadione active. Lapachol (compound 15) and B-lapachone (compound 16) were also previously reported to have termite activity (76, 77) where we found little. Jugalone (compound 6) previously reported to have activity against C. formosanus (18) was also active in this study. 

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