Imidacloprid

Imidacloprid is a broad-spectrum neonicotinoid insecticide that is effective against sucking and biting insects and insects of the Coleopteran and Lepidoptera orders. It is an antagonist of the post-synaptic nicotinic receptors in the insect central nervous system, blocking acetylcholine at the post-synaptic membrane and impairing normal nerve function. It is an agonist of insect acetylcholine receptors (nAchRs) with Ki values of 1.9, 2.1, 290, and 50 nM for M. persicae and D. melanogaster receptors, rat brain membranes and rat recombinant receptors containing α4β2 subunits, respectively. In a mouse model of high-fat diet-induced obesity, imidacloprid increased body weight gain and adiposity and impairs glucose metabolism without increasing total food intake. Has been shown be to implicated in colony collapse disorder of honey bees. Can be used as a reference compound.