Colorants, Vol. 4, Pages 18: Prodigiosin: A Potential Eco-Friendly Insecticide for Sustainable Crop Protection

Colorants doi: 10.3390/colorants4020018

Authors:
Gabriela Elizabeth Quintanilla-Villanueva
Esther Emilia Ríos-Del Toro
Iris Cristina Arvizu-De León
Donato Luna-Moreno
Melissa Marlene Rodríguez-Delgado
Juan Francisco Villarreal-Chiu

Globally, insect pests adversely affect approximately 75% of the most important crops. However, the widespread use of chemical insecticides has significant drawbacks, including non-specific biological activity, toxicity to humans, detrimental effects on beneficial insects, and the rapid development of resistance. In this context, prodigiosin—a tripyrrolic secondary metabolite produced by various microorganisms—emerges as a promising alternative due to its favourable properties, such as being non-toxic, environmentally safe, non-irritant, and non-allergenic, and having non-carcinogenic potential. Prodigiosin has demonstrated insecticidal efficiency against pests at various developmental stages. Studies suggest that prodigiosin inhibits enzymes like acetylcholine esterase, protease, and acid phosphatase and induces oxidative stress. This review explores the potential of prodigiosin as an eco-friendly insecticide, discussing its production, extraction, and purification processes and its advantages, disadvantages, and mechanism of action, and future perspectives. Special emphasis is given to using non-pathogenic strains to mitigate biosafety concerns.

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Gabriela Elizabeth Quintanilla-Villanueva www.mdpi.com