Beetle (Ulomoides dermestoides) fat improves diabetes: effect on liver and pancreatic architecture and on PPARγ expression

Histological Study of the Effect of Aqueous Extract of the Beetle Cocoon on Liver Tissue of Male Mice

Traditional medicine has been long used to prevent and/or treat diseases worldwide based on a wealth of experiences, principles, and beliefs in different cultures. Among the extracts used in traditional medicine, we can refer to the aqueous beetle cocoon extract of Larinus maculates popularly known as Tihan in Iraq. To determine the histological effect of this extract on mice liver tissue, the animals were assigned to four groups (n=5) treated with (150,200,400) mg/kg of Cocoon aqueous extract of Larinus maculates for 14 days, respectively. Histology and immunohistochemistry test was performed to evaluate changes in liver tissue and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels.The results showed various pathological dose-depended changes in the liver tissue, including infiltrations, congestion, and vacuolation, along with some dead cells; moreover, necrotic hepatocytes were observed in the liver of highly concentrated treatment group (400 mg kg^-1). In addition, the TNF-α level in the liver tissue was elevated by the increased concentration of the extract. The immunohistochemistry result of positive reaction to TNF-α revealed high reaction in the liver tissue of mice treated with 200 mg kg^-1 and 400 mg kg^-1, as compared to the control group. Furthermore, as evidenced by the obtained results, changes in hepatocytes and the severity of pathological changes in the liver depends on the concentration of the extract of Larinus maculates.

Volatilome and Essential Oil of Ulomoides dermestoides: A Broad-Spectrum Medical Insect

Ulomoides dermestoides are used as a broad-spectrum medical insect in the alternative treatment of various diseases. Preliminary volatilome studies carried out to date have shown, as the main components, methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, ethyl-1,4-benzoquinone, 1-tridecene, 1-pentadecene, and limonene. This work focused on the production of metabolites and their metabolic variations in U. dermestoides under stress conditions to provide additional valuable information to help better understand the broad-spectrum medical uses. To this end, VOCs were characterized by HS-SPME with PEG and CAR/PDMS fibers, and the first reported insect essential oils were obtained. In HS-SMPE, we found 17 terpenes, six quinones, five alkenes, and four aromatic compounds; in the essential oils, 53 terpenes, 54 carboxylic acids and derivatives, three alkynes, 12 alkenes (1-Pentadecene, EOT1: 77.6% and EOT2: 57.9%), 28 alkanes, nine alkyl disulfides, three aromatic compounds, 19 alcohols, three quinones, and 12 aldehydes were identified. Between both study approaches, a total of 171 secondary metabolites were identified with no previous report for U. dermestoides. A considerable number of the identified metabolites showed previous studies of the activity of pharmacological interest. Therefore, considering the wide variety of activities reported for these metabolites, this work allows a broader vision of the therapeutic potential of U. dermestoides in traditional medicine.

Drug Discovery Insights from Medicinal Beetles in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was the primary source of medical treatment for the people inhabiting East Asia for thousands of years. These ancient practices have incorporated a wide variety of materia medica including plants, animals and minerals. As modern sciences, including natural products chemistry, emerged, there became increasing efforts to explore the chemistry of this materia medica to find molecules responsible for their traditional use. Insects, including beetles have played an important role in TCM. In our survey of texts and review articles on TCM materia medica, we found 48 species of beetles from 34 genera in 14 different families that are used in TCM. This review covers the chemistry known from the beetles used in TCM, or in cases where a species used in these practices has not been chemically studied, we discuss the chemistry of closely related beetles. We also found several documented uses of beetles in Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), and included them where appropriate. There are 129 chemical constituents of beetles discussed.

Comparative study of composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of two adult edible insects from Tenebrionidae family

In the case of Tenebrionidae family insects, studies focus on larval stage, leaving a lack of information regarding other stages. Therefore, this study was performed in order to understand the differences between the nutritional composition and the bioactivity of two species of this family in their adult stage, fed with a specific diet. Adult beetles of both species were defatted, lyophilized and protein extracted with buffer. Proximal and phytochemical analysis of the extracts of each insect were performed, along with protein extract and hydrolysis analysis by Tris-Tricine and Tris Glycine SDS PAGE. This analysis showed that T. molitor contained more protein and fat than U. dermestoides but contained less crude fiber. The protein extraction was made with PBS, where 130 and 45 kDa bands showed predominant for U. dermestoides, and less protein was present for T. molitor. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the enzymatic protein hydrolysates and protein crude extracts were determined. Presence of protein associated with the antioxidant activity were found in both insects. Nonetheless U. dermestoides had a higher antioxidant activity with the protein extract in contrast with the higher antioxidant activity shown by U. dermestoides once the extracts were digested. After proteolysis, protein extracts showed an increasing antioxidant activity, plus, the ability to inhibit microbial growth of Proteus, Shigella and Bacillus. Insect protein hydrolysates with protease open the possibility for the use of these beetles as new sources of encrypted peptides for microbiological control once characterized.

Polysaccharide from Rosa roxburghii Tratt Fruit Attenuates Hyperglycemia and Hyperlipidemia and Regulates Colon Microbiota in Diabetic db/db Mice

This study was aimed at investigating the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of a polysaccharide (RTFP) isolated from Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit on type-2 diabetic db/db mice. The results indicated that the oral administration of RTFP could significantly decrease the body weight, fat, and liver hypertrophy and the levels of fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, and serum lipids of the db/db mice. Histopathological observation showed that RTFP could effectively protect the pancreas, liver, and epididymal fat against damage and dysfunction. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that the gene expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-γ (PPAR-γ), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1c), acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 (ACC-1), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6 Pase) were significantly down-regulated in the liver of db/db mice after treatment with RTFP. Moreover, RTFP treatment reversed gut dysbiosis by lowering the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio and enhancing the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria including Bacteroidaceae, Bacteroidaceae S24-7 group, and Lactobacillaceae. These findings suggest that RTFP can be used as a promising functional supplement for the prevention and treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus.