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Bioactivities of caffeic acid methyl ester (methyl-(E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoate): a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative from Solanum melongena L. fruits

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Abstract

Feeding deterrent and growth inhibitory effects of caffeic acid methyl ester (CME) isolated from the fruit extract of eggplant, Solanum melongena L. along with two known phenolic acids, caffeic acid (CA) and chlorogenic acid (CG) and azadirachtin (taken as active control), were evaluated against Spodoptera litura Fab. and Achaea janata L. (Lep., Noctuidae). The structure of CME was determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic (UV, FTIR, 1H, and 13C NMR) data analysis. CME has exhibited strong feeding deterrent activity against S. litura and A. janata larvae with ED50 values of 52.02 and 41.02 μg/cm2 leaf area, respectively. CA and CG were relatively less effective compounds when compared with CME. The results also revealed that the isolated compound CME caused marked larval growth inhibition in S. litura and A. janata larvae after 7 days of feeding on a treated diet. The effect on growth of larvae was concomitant with the reduced feeding and digestibility of ingested food. So the activities of digestive proteases within the midgut of larvae were examined using specific substrates to understand the digestive physiology in the larval guts. The bulk of the activity was associated with serine proteases comprising trypsin-, chymotrypsin-, and elastase-like enzymes, which decreased in diets containing CME, whereas, interestingly increased with CG. From the results, we conclude that CME isolated from S. melongena fruit extract shows feeding deterrent and larval development inhibitory activities that may prove useful in the management of S. litura and A. janata larvae.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the financial support provided by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, and are grateful to Dr. J.S. Yadav, Director, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, for encouragement and providing the necessary facilities, and to Vegetable Section, Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad for the providing the plant material.

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  1. Biology and Biotechnology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Taranaka, Hyderabad, 500 607, AP, India

    P. Usha Rani & P. Devanand

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  1. P. Usha Rani
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  2. P. Devanand
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Correspondence to P. Usha Rani.

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Communicated by M. B. Isman.

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Rani, P.U., Devanand, P. Bioactivities of caffeic acid methyl ester (methyl-(E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoate): a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative from Solanum melongena L. fruits. J Pest Sci 86, 579–589 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-013-0516-8

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