title: New environmentally-friendly antimicrobials and biocides from Andean and Mexican biodiversity.
abstract: Persistent application of pesticides often leads to accumulation in the environment and to the development of resistance in various organisms. These chemicals frequently degrade slowly and have the potential to bio-accumulate across the food chain and in top predators. Cancer and neuronal damage at genomic and proteomic levels have been linked to exposure to pesticides in humans. These negative effects encourage search for new sources of biopesticides that are more "environmentally-friendly" to the environment and human health. Many plant or fungal compounds have significant biological activity associated with the presence of secondary metabolites. Plant biotechnology and new molecular methods offer ways to understand regulation and to improve production of secondary metabolites of interest. Naturally occurring crop protection chemicals offer new approaches for pest management by providing new sources of biologically active natural products with biodegradability, low mammalian toxicity and environmentally-friendly qualities. Latin America is one of the world's most biodiverse regions and provide a previously unsuspected reservoir of new and potentially useful molecules. Phytochemicals from a number of families of plants and fungi from the southern Andes and from Mexico have now been evaluated. Andean basidiomycetes are also a great source of scientifically new compounds that are interesting and potentially useful. Use of biopesticides is an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) and can improve the risks and benefits of production of many crops all over the world.
authors: Phytochemical-Ecology, Grupo de Investigación Quimica y Biotecnología de Productos Naturales Bioactivos, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bio Bio, Chillan, Chile. Electronic address: cespedes.leonardo@gmail.com.
authors: Carlos L
authors: CL
authors: Cespedes
authors: Synthesis/Biotransformation of Natural Products Labs, Grupo de Investigación Quimica y Biotecnología de Productos Naturales Bioactivos, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bio Bio, Chillan, Chile.
authors: Julio
authors: J
authors: Alarcon
authors: Laboratorio de Microbiología y Micología Aplicada, Departamento de Agroindustrias, Facultad de Ingeniería Agrícola, Universidad de Concepción, Chillan, Chile.
authors: Pedro M
authors: PM
authors: Aqueveque
authors: Escuela de Quimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Medellin, Colombia.
authors: Tatiana
authors: T
authors: Lobo
authors: Synthesis/Biotransformation of Natural Products Labs, Grupo de Investigación Quimica y Biotecnología de Productos Naturales Bioactivos, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bio Bio, Chillan, Chile.
authors: Julio
authors: J
authors: Becerra
authors: Phytochemical-Ecology, Grupo de Investigación Quimica y Biotecnología de Productos Naturales Bioactivos, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bio Bio, Chillan, Chile.
authors: Cristian
authors: C
authors: Balbontin
authors: Laboratorio de Fitoquimica, Unidad UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Tlalnepantla, Mexico DF, Mexico.
authors: Jose G
authors: JG
authors: Avila
authors: ESPM Departmenty, University of California at Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors: Isao
authors: I
authors: Kubo
authors: Department of Plant Biology, Herbarium, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
authors: David S
authors: DS
authors: Seigler
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D044822:Biodiversity; D002677:Chile; D005658:Fungi / Q000737:chemistry; D008800:Mexico; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents
keywords: Antibacterial; Antifeedant; Antifungal activity; Biological activity.; Biopesticides; Environmentally-friendly biopesticides; Insect growth regulators; Insect pest control; Insecticidal; Phytopathogens; Secondary metabolites