Research progress of insect neuropeptide allatostatins and their analogues

Allatostatins (ASTs) are a kind of insect neuropeptides secreted from insect brain nerve cells. ASTs can inhibit the biosynthesis and release of juvenile hormone (JH) by influencing corpora allata (CA). Given their influence on the insect growth, development, reproduction and other physiological processes, ASTs are considered as potential pest control agents. Based on a brief introduction of insect neuropeptides’ potential application in the field of pest control, the discovery, classification and function of allatostatins have been reviewed in this paper. According to the recent studies on ASTs and their analogues in our research group, the research progress in the area of structure modification and optimization of allatostatins, active conformation and the structure-activity relationship of ASTs analogues and their receptor and mode of action were summarized. The outlook of ASTs and their analogues as the candidates of eco-friendly pesticide is also proposed in this review, which were expected to provide a reference for the development of novel eco-friendly pesticides.