Lufenuron

Lufenuron is the active ingredient in the veterinary flea control medicine, Program, and the veterinary coformulation flea control, heartworm prevention, and anthelmintic medicine, Sentinel.

Lufenuron is stored in the animal's body fat and transferred to adult fleas through their bite. Adult fleas transfer it to their eggs by its presence in the mother flea's blood, or by the larva feeding on pre-digested blood.

Lufenuron, a benzoylurea pesticide, inhibits the production of chitin in larval fleas. Without chitin, a larval flea will never develop an exoskeleton. Attacking the ability to create chitin may make lufenuron an effective remedy against fungal infections, such as ringworm (a dermatophyte infection and not a worm at all).

It has no known toxic effects at any dosage on humans or other animals in the environment that do not depend on chitin, though the orally-administered pills can sometimes cause an upset stomach with acid reflux.

Lufenuron is also sold as a crop protection product (pesticide) by Syngenta for use against lepidoptera, eriophid mites, and Western flower thrips; it has approval in a number of countries for use on a variety of crops, including soybeans and maize.

Lufenuron ルフェヌロン