title: Effects of dietary quercetin on performance and cytochrome P450 expression of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera.
abstract: Quercetin is ubiquitous in terrestrial plants. The cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera as a highly polyphagous insect has caused severe crop losses. Until now, interactions between this pest and quercetin are poorly understood at the biochemical and molecular levels. In this study, we investigated the in vivo effects of quercetin on performance of cotton bollworm and on cytochrome P450 (P450) expression. Deleterious effects of quercetin on the performance of the cotton bollworm, including growth, survival, pupation and adult emergence were observed after oral administration of 3 and 10 mg g(-1) quercetin to larvae since the third instar, whereas no significant toxic effect was found at 0.1 mg g(-1) quercetin treatment. Piperonyl butoxide treatment enhanced the toxicity of quercetin. In vitro metabolism studies showed that quercetin was rapidly transformed by gut enzymes of fifth instar larvae of the cotton bollworm. qRT-PCR results revealed that the effect of quercetin on P450 expression was tissue- and dose-specific. Quercetin regulated P450 expression in a mild manner, and it could serve as P450 inducer (CYP337B1, CYP6B6) or repressor (CYP337B1, CYP6B7, CYP6B27, CYP9A14, CYP6AE11, and CYP4M7). These findings are important for advancing our understanding of the biochemical and molecular response of insects to plant toxins and have implications for a smart pest control.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents,Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents,Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents,Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents,Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D009036:Moths / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D011794:Quercetin / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D011794:Quercetin
keywords: Helicoverpa armigera; adaptation; cytochrome P450s; metabolism; quercetin; toxicity