The 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase (ECOD) activities of cytochrome P450s and differential expression of six cytochrome P450 genes induced by the volatiles from both damaged and undamaged maize plants were investigated in the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hiabner). The ECOD activity changed with time of exposure to maize volatiles. At 36 h after cotton bollworm larvae exposure to maize volatiles, the ECOD activities in cotton bollworm damaged and artificially damaged groups were 2.36 and 4.53 times higher than the control group respectively. The relative expression levels of CYP4S1, CYP6B2 and CYP6B7 in the cotton bollworm were significantly increased in artificially damaged plant group, which was 2.93, 5.09 and 10.66 times higher than that in the control group, respectively. The expression levels of CYP6B2, CYP6B6, CYP9A12, and CYP9A14 were much lower in the larvae exposure to volatiles from both healthy and pest damaged maize seedlings than in the control group at 12 h after larvae exposure to maize volatiles. For the cotton bollworm damaged maize group, the expression of CYP4S1 and CYP9A14 increased.
Differential effects of methamidophos and three pyrethroids on ATPase activity and membrane fluidity of mitochondria were investigated between the wolf spider(Pirata subpiraticus(Boes.et Str.))and the rice stem borer(Chilo suppressalis(Walker)).Based on a comparison of LD_(50) values,the toxicities of the tested insecticides were higher to the wolf spider than to the rice stem borer.Cyhalothrin at 1×10^(–4) mmol L^(–1) caused inhibition of the mitochondrial Na~+-K~+-ATPase and Ca^(2+)-Mg^(2+)-ATPase activities,and it’s inhibitions on Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca^(2+)-Mg^(2+)-ATPase activities were significantly higher in the wolf spider(44 and 28%)than in the rice stem borer(19 and 11%).Methamidophos at 1×10^(–4) mmol L^(–1) decreased Ca^(2+)-Mg^(2+)-ATPase activity by 16 and 27%in the wolf spider and the rice stem borer,respectively,but no significant effect on the specific activity of Na+-K+-ATPase was observed.The DPH(1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene)fluorescence polarization values of mitochondrial membranes were not significantly affected by methamidophos in either species.However,cyhalothrin and alpha-cypermethrin induced the values of DPH polarization of mitochondrial membrane increasing with the concentration of cyhalothrin and alpha-cypermethrin from 20 to 100μmol L^(–1) in the rice stem borer and the wolf spider.Effect of ethofenprox on fluidity of the wolf spider and the rice stem borer was contrary.These results suggest that both inhibition of membrane ATPase and changes of membrane fluidity could be appended to the action mechanisms of pyrethroid insecticides.