Antifeedant Activities of Lignans from Stem Bark of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. against Tribolium castaneum

The speciation of a methanolic extract of Zanthoxylum armatum stem bark has enabled the isolation and characterization of 11 known lignans. Among them, five compounds (6, 8–11) are reported in this plant for the first time. All of the chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of NMR spectral analysis. Additionally, their antifeedant activities against Tribolium castaneum were evaluated scientifically. Among them, asarinin (1), with an EC(50) of 25.64 ppm, exhibited a much stronger antifeedant activity than the positive control, toosendanin (EC(50) = 71.69 ppm). Moreover, fargesin (2), horsfieldin (3), and magnolone (10), with EC(50) values of 63.24, 68.39, and 78.37 ppm, showed almost the same antifeedant activity as the positive control. From the perspective of structure-effectiveness relationship, compounds with the chemical group of methylenedioxy exhibited higher antifeedant activities and have potential to be developed into novel antifeedants or potential lead compounds to protect food and crops in storage.