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Volume 27
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10.3390/ijms27188322
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Article

Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins

by
Zhuo Peng
1,2,†,
Wenhui Lu
1,3,†,
Yue Meng
4,
Junjie Lin
1,
Xinyu Zhang
1,
Zihan Guo
1,
Rong Zhao
1,
Xiaoying Li
1,
Meican Liu
1,
Qiaoying Zhou
1,
Yuqian He
1,
Rui Ji
5,
Guirong Wang
2,
Lei Yang
1,
Yang Sun
1,* and
Pengke Zhao
6,*
1
Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Enzymology and Mechanism of Major Diseases, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
2
Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
3
Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
4
School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
5
Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
6
Shaoxing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shaoxing 312000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(18), 8322; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27188322 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 29 July 2026 / Revised: 31 August 2026 / Accepted: 14 September 2026 / Published: 18 September 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plant Stress Tolerance: 3rd Edition)
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Abstract

Striped rice stem borer (Chilo suppressalis, SSB) poses a substantial threat to global rice production, leading to considerable economic loss. In this study, we explored the insecticidal mechanism of α-humulene, a sesquiterpene derived from Humulus lupulus, against SSB larvae. Bioassays indicated that α-humulene markedly elevated larval mortality rates and extended developmental periods. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of genes involved in juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis and the downregulation of cuticle protein genes. Molecular docking experiments demonstrated that α-humulene could form putative binding interactions with both cuticular proteins and key enzymes in the JH biosynthesis pathway, suggesting a potential interaction that may influence the structural stability of the cuticle and hormonal balance. Furthermore, JH and ecdysone titer assays confirmed hormonal imbalance in treated larvae. This study identified α-humulene as a novel multimodal insecticidal compound targeting two critical systems, namely endocrine disruption via dysregulated JH biosynthesis, and structural integrity impairment through cuticle protein suppression, presenting a sustainable approach for the eco-friendly management of rice pests.
Keywords: plant defense; α-humulene; C. suppressalis; transcriptomic plant defense; α-humulene; C. suppressalis; transcriptomic

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Peng, Z.; Lu, W.; Meng, Y.; Lin, J.; Zhang, X.; Guo, Z.; Zhao, R.; Li, X.; Liu, M.; Zhou, Q.; et al. Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27, 8322. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27188322

AMA Style

Peng Z, Lu W, Meng Y, Lin J, Zhang X, Guo Z, Zhao R, Li X, Liu M, Zhou Q, et al. Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026; 27(18):8322. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27188322

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peng, Zhuo, Wenhui Lu, Yue Meng, Junjie Lin, Xinyu Zhang, Zihan Guo, Rong Zhao, Xiaoying Li, Meican Liu, Qiaoying Zhou, and et al. 2026. "Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 27, no. 18: 8322. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27188322

APA Style

Peng, Z., Lu, W., Meng, Y., Lin, J., Zhang, X., Guo, Z., Zhao, R., Li, X., Liu, M., Zhou, Q., He, Y., Ji, R., Wang, G., Yang, L., Sun, Y., & Zhao, P. (2026). Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(18), 8322. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27188322

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