Abstract: Plant phototoxins have recently become many new sources of insecticidal compounds of their effectiveness,safety,degradability,availability in commercial quantities,economy,industrial development and acceptability to the public.Naturally occurring phototoxins mostly include polyketides,cinnamate derivatives,alkaloids and porphyrins.The photochemical mode of action and mechanism of phototoxins and their effects on insects were reviewed in this article,and then the potential application of the phototoxins was showed, in which α-T has been evaluated in detail.