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Nepetalactone is a name for multiple iridoid analog stereoisomers. Nepetalactones are produced by Nepeta cataria ( catnip ) and many other plants belonging to the genus Nepeta , in which they protect these plants from herbivorous insects by functioning as insect repellents .
Cats detect nepetalactone through their olfactory epithelium, not through their vomeronasal organ. [55] At the olfactory epithelium, the nepetalactone binds to one or more olfactory receptors. A 1962 pedigree analysis of 26 cats in a Siamese breeding colony suggested that the catnip response was caused by a Mendelian-dominant gene.
Some members of this group are known as catnip or catmint because of their effect on house cats – the nepetalactone contained in some Nepeta species binds to the olfactory receptors of cats, typically resulting in temporary euphoria.
A whiff of catnip can have mosquitoes buzzing off—and it's all thanks to a chemical called nepetalactone which is both a cat attractant and an insect repellant. How nifty!
The active chemical for catnip and silver vine has been confirmed to be nepetalactone and nepetalactol respectively: they are found in the two plants and synthesized versions of these chemicals trigger similar responses in cats. [26] The active ingredient in Tatarian honeysuckle and valerian may be actinidine, but its effect is yet to be ...
Several natural ingredients are certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as insect repellents, namely catnip oil, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) (and its active ingredient p-Menthane-3,8-diol), oil of citronella, and 2-Undecanone, which is usually produced synthetically but has also been isolated from many plant sources. [39]
A study published in January 2021 suggests that felines are specifically attracted to the iridoids nepetalactol and nepetalactone, present in silver vine and catnip, respectively. [14] The compounds were found to repel mosquitos, and it is hypothesized that rubbing against the plants provides the cats with a chemical coat that protects them ...
Actinidine is a cat attractant, with effects like those of nepetalactone, the active compound found in catnip. [ 5 ] Certain species of stick insects , including Megacrania batesii and Megacrania tsudai , possess a chemical defense mechanism which involves the secretion of an actinidine-containing substance from the prothoracic glands, when ...