Nereistoxin structure

The nereistoxin analogs (cartap hydrochloride, bensultap, and thiocyclam) are all proinsecticides that must be activated in vivo to become nereistoxin (see Chapter 4, subsection 4.2.12.8 for nereistoxin structure). Nereistoxin acts as an antagonist of the acetylcholine receptor. Unlike with nicotine, insects treated with nereistoxin are rapidly immobilized without convulsive symptoms, possibly because nereistoxin does not induce depolarization (Corbett et al., 1984). 

Scheme 20. Structures of nereistoxin (4-dimethylamino-l,2-dithiolane) from a marine worm and of charatoxin I (ChTx 1,4-methylthio-l,2-dithiolane) and charatoxin II (ChTx II, 5-methylthio-l,2,3-trithiane) from the freshwater green alga Chara globularis.

Okaichi, T. and Hashimoto, Y. (1962a) The structure of nereistoxin. Agric. Biol Chem., 26, 224-227. 

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