An introduction to the metabolism of pyrethroids

The metabolism of both the natural and synthetic pyrethroids1 is a complicated and overpowering subject. In this report a historical review of the literature is presented in the hope that the facts which comprise the current wealth of information can be presented individually, roughly in order of their discovery. It is not intended to cover all the literature since reviews of specific aspects are readily available but it is intended to mention all the salient points. It is also hoped that some interest will arise from seeing how progress in these metabolism studies depended on advances in other areas and how the subject of these studies has changed from insects to mammals and plants as fears about human and environmental safety have increased. We now have the seemingly paradoxical situation in which metabolism studies of insecticides are undertaken on almost anything other than insects.