Recent Progress in Juvenile Hormone Analogs (JHA) Research

Insect juvenile hormones (JHs) are important regulators of development and reproduction. Perturbation in the homeostasis at inappropriate times in the various developmental and reproductive stages of an insect, which normally requires controlled release and metabolism of this and other hormones, results in abnormal development or lethal consequences. Such deliberate consequences have been possible by the discovery and use of Juvenile Hormone Analogs (JHAs), the synthetic chemicals that mimic JH action, which have also been utilised as insecticides for several decades. With the availability of molecular tools and improvement in pharmacophore analyses in the recent years, there has been considerable advancement in the understanding of the mode of action of JHAs and development of methods for discovery of novel JHAs. Although there is limited use of JHAs for insect pest control, the list of new insect species susceptible to these compounds has been expanding revealing the potential for future use of this class of insecticides. The relatively fewer effects of JHAs on non-target insects and animals and favourable environmental fate of these compounds make them attractive insecticides for inclusion in integrated pest management programmes. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of JHAs, as endocrinological and insecticidal tools covering all the relevant research topics on JHAs research during the past three decades.