Structure-activity studies of nitrogen and alkyl substituted ecdysteroid analogues

Insects unlike vertebrates do no possess an expandable skin but instead a tough cuticle which is incapable of growth or change. For insect development to occur therefore, the cuticle must be discarded and replaced with new cuticular tissue to accommodate the new insect form. The process by which insects renew their cuticle is known as moulting or ecdysis. [...]