Cantharidin, a natural toxin isolated from beetles in the families Meloidae and Oedemeridae, has been reported to be toxic to some pests, including the diamondback moth.IC50 value:Target:In vitro: A 48 h treatment of human erythrocytes with cantharidin significantly increased the percentage of annexin-V-binding cells (≥10 μg/mL), significantly decreased forward scatter (≥25 μg/mL), significantly increased [Ca2+]i (≥25 μg/mL), but did not significantly modify ceramide abundance or ROS [1]. In vivo:
References:
[1]. Alzoubi K, et al. Induction of Suicidal Erythrocyte Death by Cantharidin. Toxins (Basel). 2015 Jul 28;7(8):2822-34.
[2]. Hsieh FS, et al. Inhibition of protein phosphatase 5 suppresses non-small cell lung cancer through AMP-activated kinase activation. Lung Cancer. 2017 Oct;112:81-89.
[3]. Huang Z, et al. Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Cantharidin on Development and Reproduction of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). J Econ Entomol. 2015 Jun;108(3):1054-64.
[4]. Shen M, et al. Cantharidin represses invasion of pancreatic cancer cells through accelerated degradation of MMP2 mRNA. Sci Rep. 2015 Jul 2;5:11836.