AI Article Synopsis
- Beetles, particularly from the families Tenebrionidae and Meloidae, can produce or store metabolites from their diet, which can be toxic or help against parasites.
- This study examined the antiparasitic effects of beetle extracts on pathogens relevant to the Great Bustard's habitat, finding potent activity against certain pathogens and moderate effects against others.
- Analysis of the beetle extracts revealed key compounds like hydrocarbons and fatty acids, with specific substances like cantharidin and ethyl oleate linked to their bioactivity.
Article Abstract
Arthropods and specifically beetles can synthesize and/or sequester metabolites from dietary sources. In beetle families such as Tenebrionidae and Meloidae, a few studies have reported species with toxic defensive substances and antiparasitic properties that are consumed by birds. Here we have studied the antiparasitic activity of extracts from beetle species present in the habitat of the Great Bustard () against four pathogen models (, , , and ). The insect species extracted were , , (Tenebrionidae), and (Meloidae). exhibited potent activity against and , while exhibited moderate antiprotozoal activity. The chemical composition of the insect extracts was studied by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The most abundant compounds in the four beetle extracts were hydrocarbons and fatty acids such as palmitic acid, myristic acid and methyl linoleate, which are characteristic of insect cuticles. The presence of cantharidin (CTD) in the meloid and ethyl oleate (EO) in accounted for the bioactivity of their extracts.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8310226 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxins13070489 | DOI Listing |
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