Acetamiprid

Acetamiprid belongs to a relatively new class of insecticide that developed in the late 1980s, the 'neonicotinoids'. The precise structure of acetamiprid is that of a chloronicotinyl compound and it has been shown to be a potent agonist at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in insects. The primary use for acetamiprid is to control insects such as aphids, which have been known to attack and damage leafy plants. Acetamiprid is available as a ready-to-use formulation in addition to wettable powders and water-dispersible granules. Although acetamiprid has shown to have higher affinity for nicotinic receptors in insects compared to mammals, there have been some reports of imidacloprid (another neonicotinoid) undergoing biotransformation in rodents resulting in a compound that has higher affinity for then the nicotinic receptor compared to (-)-nicotine. This could potentially lead to toxicity in mammals. There have been no reports of chronic toxicity or of bioactivation of acetamiprid so far in mammals. A recent report has shown that acetamiprid can undergo transepithelial absorption across intestinal cells, possibly resulting in toxicity if acetamiprid accumulates within the body. It is not thought that acetamiprid contamination of soil is persistence and the general thought is that acetamiprid presents low hazard risks to human/vertebrate populations under normal conditions.