title: Erythritol, a non-nutritive sugar alcohol sweetener and the main component of truvia®, is a palatable ingested insecticide.
abstract: Insecticides have a variety of commercial applications including urban pest control, agricultural use to increase crop yields, and prevention of proliferation of insect-borne diseases. Many pesticides in current use are synthetic molecules such as organochlorine and organophosphate compounds. Some synthetic insecticides suffer drawbacks including high production costs, concern over environmental sustainability, harmful effects on human health, targeting non-intended insect species, and the evolution of resistance among insect populations. Thus, there is a large worldwide need and demand for environmentally safe and effective insecticides. Here we show that Erythritol, a non-nutritive sugar alcohol, was toxic to the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Ingested erythritol decreased fruit fly longevity in a dose-dependent manner, and erythritol was ingested by flies that had free access to control (sucrose) foods in choice and CAFE studies. Erythritol was US FDA approved in 2001 and is used as a food additive in the United States. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that erythritol may be used as a novel, environmentally sustainable and human safe approach for insect pest control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America; Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kaitlin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Baudier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors.forename: Simon D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Kaschock-Marenda
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nirali
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Diangelus
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America; Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America; Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Marenda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D004896:Erythritol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D015996:Survival Rate; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D004896:Erythritol