Abstract
Faced with ethical conflict and social pressure, researchers have increasingly chosen to use alternative models over vertebrates in their research. Since the innate immune system is evolutionarily conserved in insects, the use of these animals in research is gaining ground. This review discusses Tenebrio molitor as a potential model host for the study of pathogenic fungi. Larvae of T. molitor are known as cereal pests and, in addition, are widely used as animal and human feed. A number of studies on mechanisms of the humoral system, especially in the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides, which have similar characteristics to vertebrates, have been performed. These studies demonstrate the potential of T. molitor larvae as a model host that can be used to study fungal virulence, mycotoxin effects, host immune responses to fungal infection, and the action of antifungal compounds.
Highlights
Faced with ethical conflict and social pressure, researchers have increasingly chosen to use alternative models over vertebrates in their research
The innate humoral responsealternative of insects is orchestrated by processes that in inhibit proliferation pathogens and assist in model hosts has increased dramatically the lastthe decade, in order toof avoid and/or reduce the use of vertebrates in experiments hemolymph their elimination, such as melanization, coagulation, induction of the synthesis of reactive have beenpeptides increasingly chosen as a model host to study microbial infections
Our research group showed, for the first time, the utility of T. molitor as a model host to study infections caused by Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans [84]
Summary
Vertebrate animals, such as mice, are widely used in basic scientific and medical research for studies of microbial pathogenicity, testing of substances of pharmacological interest, the production of vaccines, evaluation of the effectiveness of antibiotics, and in the development of new therapies [1,2]. The innate humoral responsealternative of insects is orchestrated by processes that in inhibit proliferation pathogens and assist in model hosts has increased dramatically the lastthe decade, in order toof avoid and/or reduce the use of vertebrates in experiments hemolymph [6] Their elimination, such as melanization, coagulation, induction of the synthesis of reactive have beenpeptides increasingly chosen as a model host to study microbial infections [7]. 1758), known as the mealworm, belongs to the larval order phase, metamorphosis), which(Linnaeus, its lifecycle is popularly composed of 4 stages: embryo stage (eggs), Coleoptera and family It is found worldwide, it has climatic preferences pupa phase, and adult phase (Figure 1).
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