Plants of the Piperaceae family are studied for their diverse secondary metabolism with a vast array of compounds that act as chemical defense agents against herbivores. Of all the agricultural pests, the management of insects is a highly significant challenge in the Neotropics, and ants of the Attini tribe pose a major problem. Due to their symbiotic association with the fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (Möller) Singer (Agaricaceae), the species of Atta and Acromyrmex have exhaustive foraging activity which has intensified as deforestation and monoculture farming have increased. The control of leaf-cutting ants is still carried out with synthetic products with negative consequences to the environment and human health. In search for natural and sustainable alternatives to synthetic pesticides, Piper holtonii C. DC. was selected among other plant species after field observations of the foraging activity of Atta cephalotes, which revealed that P. holtonii was never chosen by ants. In vitro evaluation of an ethanol extract of the leaves of P. holtonii resulted in promising inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 102 ppm) against L. gongylophorus. Subsequently, bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of the phenylpropanoid dillapiole, which was also detected in the essential oil. This compound demonstrated inhibition of the fungus with an IC₅₀ of 38 ppm. Considering the symbiotic relationship between the Attini ants and L. gongylophorus, the negative effect on the survival of one of the organisms will affect the survival of the other, so dillapiole or standardized essential oil extracts of P. holtonii containing this active principle could be a unique and useful source as a control agent for leaf cutting-ants.

中文翻译：

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Piper holtonii中的Dillapiole作为切叶蚁共生真菌Leucoagaricus gongylophorus的抑制剂。

研究了虎尾草科植物的第二代新陈代谢，其中包含大量化合物，这些化合物可作为对草食动物的化学防御剂。在所有农业害虫中，昆虫的管理在新热带地区是一个非常重要的挑战，而阿提尼部落的蚂蚁构成了一个主要问题。由于它们与真菌Leucoagaricus gongylophorus（Möller）歌手（Agaricaceae）共生，Atta和Acromyrmex的种类具有详尽的觅食活动，随着砍伐森林和单一耕种耕种活动的增加，这种活动变得更加激烈。切叶蚁的控制仍然使用对环境和人类健康有负面影响的合成产品。为了寻找天然和可持续的合成农药替代品，Piper holtonii C. DC。在野外观察了Atta cephalotes的觅食活性之后，从其他植物物种中选择了A.，这表明蚂蚁从未选择过P. holtonii。霍乱假单胞菌叶片的乙醇提取物的体外评估产生了有希望的对冈蝇乳杆菌的抑制活性（IC ₅₀ 102 ppm）。随后，生物测定指导的分馏导致分离出苯丙类丙二酚，这在精油中也能检测到。该化合物显示出对真菌的抑制，IC ₅₀为38 ppm。考虑到Attini蚂蚁和L. gongylophorus之间的共生关系，对一种生物的生存产生负面影响会影响另一种生物的生存，因此，含有这种活性成分的霍乱假单胞菌的莳萝双酚或标准化精油提取物可能是用作切叶剂防治剂的独特而有用的来源。