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Pyrethrins and Synthetic Pyrethroids: Use in Veterinary Medicine

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Natural Products

Abstract

Pyrethrins and synthetic pyrethroids are used extensively as insecticides and acaricides for the treatment of a broad range of ectoparasites in large and small animals, as well as in nonmammalian species such as birds, fish, and honeybees. These compounds are used in veterinary medicine in different formulations including spot-on, sprays, ear tags, dips (immersion), soluble powders, and shampoos to control fleas, mite, lice, and ticks between other insect infestations both outside and inside the house. The synthetic pyrethroids have been classified in two classes: type I and type II; the addition of the alpha-cyano group to the 3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol group in type II has increased the insecticidal potency. The mode of action of these compounds suggests that the voltage-dependent sodium channel in the nerve membrane is the common target in insects and mammals. The pharmacokinetic/toxicokinetic properties of these compounds are also presented. This chapter also reviews the antiparasitic activities and the veterinary applications (uses) of pyrethrins and synthetic pyrethroids in several animal species. The clinical signs of poisoning in particular in the cats by permethrin are described. The chapter also provides the EU’s maximum residue limits (MRLs) established for the pyrethroids as antiparasitic agents in food-producing animals; the MRLs are necessary to establish the withdrawal/withholding periods of the final veterinary drug formulations containing these chemical compounds.

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Abbreviations

CNS:

Central nervous system

EU:

European Union

MRLs:

Maximum residue limits

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Acknowledgments

This chapter was supported by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, and Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Projects Refs. UCM-BSCH/GR35/10-A and S2009/AGR-1469, and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Ref. CSD/2007/00063 (FUN-C-FOOD), Madrid, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Toxicología y Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Prof. Arturo Anadón, Irma Arés, María Aránzazu Martínez & María Rosa Martínez-Larrañaga

Authors
  1. Prof. Arturo Anadón
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  2. Irma Arés
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  3. María Aránzazu Martínez
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  4. María Rosa Martínez-Larrañaga
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Arturo Anadón .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Botany Department, M.L. Sukhadia University, Durga Nursery Road, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India

    Kishan Gopal Ramawat

  2. Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences, Biological-Active Plant Substances Study, University of Bordeaux, 210 Chemin de Leysotte CS 50008, Villenave d'Ornon, 33882, France

    Jean-Michel Mérillon

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Anadón, A., Arés, I., Martínez, M.A., Martínez-Larrañaga, M.R. (2013). Pyrethrins and Synthetic Pyrethroids: Use in Veterinary Medicine. In: Ramawat, K., Mérillon, JM. (eds) Natural Products. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22144-6_131

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