Insecticidal Metabolites from Serratia marcescens Associated with the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda): Metabolomic Profiling and Molecular Docking Insights

Insecticidal Metabolites from Serratia marcescens Associated with the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda): Metabolomic Profiling and Molecular Docking Insights | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Insecticidal Metabolites from Serratia marcescens Associated with the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda): Metabolomic Profiling and Molecular Docking Insights Kreema A. El Lebody, Ramy E. El-Ansary, Shaimaa A. Nour, Rasha G. Salim, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9371147/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda ) has developed resistance to numerous insecticides and is currently considered one of the most destructive pests threatening global crop production. Consequently, the development of environmentally sustainable pest management strategies has become increasingly important. Insect-associated pathogenic bacteria represent a promising source of bioactive metabolites with potential insecticidal properties. In the present study, pathogenic bacteria associated with S. frugiperda were isolated and molecularly identified as Serratia marcescens strain INS420 based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The secondary metabolites produced by this bacterium demonstrated significant insecticidal activity under both laboratory and field conditions. Metabolic profiling of the extracted compounds was performed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), revealing the presence of several bioactive compounds, including diketopiperazines, fatty acids and their esters, squalene, phthalate derivatives, and a cardenolide. To gain insights into the potential mechanism of action, molecular docking simulations were conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of the identified metabolites with S. frugiperda acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Among the detected compounds, squalene and several fatty acid derivatives exhibited stable interactions within the active site of the enzyme, suggesting a possible inhibitory effect on AChE activity. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that S. marcescens associated with S. frugiperda produces metabolites with notable insecticidal potential and highlight insect-associated pathogenic bacteria as a valuable source of bioactive compounds for the sustainable management of fall armyworm. Spodoptera frugiperda Serratia marcescens secondary metabolites LC–MS GC–MS molecular docking bioinsecticides sustainable pest management Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9371147","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":627775833,"identity":"a4878fc6-460f-4190-bbc9-57a98a62c52c","order_by":0,"name":"Kreema A. El Lebody","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Research Centre","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kreema","middleName":"A. 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Consequently, the development of environmentally sustainable pest management strategies has become increasingly important. Insect-associated pathogenic bacteria represent a promising source of bioactive metabolites with potential insecticidal properties. In the present study, pathogenic bacteria associated with \u003cem\u003eS. frugiperda\u003c/em\u003e were isolated and molecularly identified as \u003cem\u003eSerratia marcescens\u003c/em\u003e strain INS420 based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The secondary metabolites produced by this bacterium demonstrated significant insecticidal activity under both laboratory and field conditions. Metabolic profiling of the extracted compounds was performed using liquid chromatography\u0026ndash;mass spectrometry (LC\u0026ndash;MS) and gas chromatography\u0026ndash;mass spectrometry (GC\u0026ndash;MS), revealing the presence of several bioactive compounds, including diketopiperazines, fatty acids and their esters, squalene, phthalate derivatives, and a cardenolide. To gain insights into the potential mechanism of action, molecular docking simulations were conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of the identified metabolites with \u003cem\u003eS. frugiperda\u003c/em\u003e acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Among the detected compounds, squalene and several fatty acid derivatives exhibited stable interactions within the active site of the enzyme, suggesting a possible inhibitory effect on AChE activity. 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