Molecules drive bugs
away as well as DEET does
 |
| SKEETER BLOCKER - A screen coated with the compound MDA (methyl N,N-dimethyl anthranilate), bottom, keeps female mosquitoes at bay. The chemical smells like grapes and is deemed safe for humans. P. Kain ET AL/Nature 2013 |
A newly discovered batch of safe bug repellents works just as well as DEET, scientists report October 2 in Nature. As an added bonus, these new bug dopes smell faintly of grapes.
In addition to finding
the new bug-repelling compounds, the scientists also uncovered the elusive
cells and proteins that let mosquitoes detect and avoid DEET. This knowledge
“gives you another whole set of tools” in the search for new insect repellents,
says neuroscientist Mark Stopfer of the National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Md.
DEET has been around for more than 60 years without scientists knowing how insects detect the molecule. “It’s remained a mystery for so long,” says entomologist Anandasankar Ray of the University of California, Riverside. Using a genetic trick, Ray and his colleagues engineered fruit flies — a proxy for mosquitoes — so that neurons would glow when active.
After exposing the flies
to DEET, the team identified neurons that responded in a pit in the antenna
called the sacculus. These cells harbor a protein called Ir40a, a receptor
present in many other insects. When the scientists silenced these Ir40a
neurons, the flies grew impervious to DEET.
Knowing which cells make
insects abhor DEET allows scientists to test other possible bug repellents by
applying them to those neurons, Ray says.
He and his colleagues
tested candidates after using a computer algorithm to comb through thousands of
compounds, looking for those that had chemical features similar to DEET and
other known repellents. To restrict their search to molecules that were likely
to be safe to humans, the scientists looked for chemicals that either originate
from plants or animals, or are already approved as fragrances, cosmetics or
flavors.
Three molecules suggested
by the algorithm — chemicals known as anthranilates — activated these Ir40a
cells and repelled mosquitoes. What’s more, these compounds, which occur
naturally in grapes, plums or orange flowers, are approved for human
consumption or oral inhalation by the Food and Drug Administration. Unlike
DEET, these compounds don’t dissolve plastics.
With further testing
these compounds or others that emerge from the project might be useful in
regions that struggle with mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria, Ray says.
DEET is difficult to use, may harm health and is expensive. “Cost stops
it from being used in the areas of the world where it is most needed,” he says.
Because many insects
have the Ir40a receptor, the new repellents might prove noxious to other insects,
such as bedbugs, cockroaches, ants and agricultural pests. The team plans to
test the compounds on more insects, and Ray may start a company to develop and
distribute these new repellents.
CITATIONS
P. Kain et al. Odour
receptors and neurons for detecting DEET and new insect repellents. Nature.
Published online October 2, 2013. doi: 10.1038/nature12594. [Go to]
SUGGESTED
READING
R. Ehrenberg. Science
gets the deets on DEET. Science News, Vol. 180, October 22, 2011, p. 10. [Go to]