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Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

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Antifeedant activity of flavonoids and related compounds against the subterranean termiteCoptotermes formosanus Shiraki

Abstract

Antifeedant activity of some flavonoids and their related compounds against the subterranean termiteCoptotermes formosanus Shiraki was examined with nochoice tests and two-choice tests. The activities of these compounds were evaluated in relation to their chemical structures. All flavonoids tested showed antifeedant activity, whereas catechinic acid, possessing no A-ring or pyran ring in the molecule, showed feeding-preference activity. For the structure-activity relations, it was found that compounds containing two hydroxyl groups at C-5 and C-7 in A-rings showed high antifeedant activity. Furthermore, the presence of a carbonyl group at C-4 in the pyran rings of the compounds was necessary for the occurrence of high activity. 3-Hydroxyflavones and 3-hydroxyflavanones with 3′,4′-dihydroxylated B-rings exhibited higher activity than those with 4′-hydroxylated B-rings.

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Correspondence to Wakako Ohmura.

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Ohmura, W., Doi, S., Aoyama, M. et al. Antifeedant activity of flavonoids and related compounds against the subterranean termiteCoptotermes formosanus Shiraki. J Wood Sci 46, 149–153 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00777362

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