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 (Otis tarda) against four pathogen models (Aspergillus niger, Meloidogyne javanica, Hyalomma lusitanicum, and Trichomonas gallinae). The insect species extracted were Tentyria peiroleri, Scaurus uncinus, Blaps lethifera (Tenebrionidae), and Mylabris quadripunctata (Meloidae). M. quadripunctata exhibited potent activity against M. javanica and T. gallinae, while T. peiroleri 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 M. quadripunctata meloid and ethyl oleate (EO) in T. peiroleri accounted for the bioactivity of their extracts.
Highlights
The highest yield was obtained from Blaps lethifera (22.14%), the other three species yielding less than 10%
Data show the percentage of growth inhibition extracted from the mean absorbances ± SE (N = 3); b Lethal doses resulting in 50% and 90% growth inhibition (95% Confidence Limits). This is the first report on the antiparasitic activity of extracts from the Tenebrionidae species Tentyria peiroleri and the Meloidae Mylabris quadripunctata against the nematode Meloidogyne javanica (M. quadripunctata) and the protozoan T. gallinae
Meloidogyne javanica and the antiprotozoal effect against Trichomonas gallinae of Mylabris quadripunctata extract is related to the presence of active cantharidin in this blister beetle
Summary
Other Coleoptera acquire toxic substances by sequestering secondary metabolites from dietary sources, which are transferred from invertebrates to upper trophic levels within the ecosystem [1,4,5]. The consumption of secondary metabolites by animals can affect their parasite and pathogen load, regardless of their toxicity to the animal itself. These effects are of particular interest because there is an urgent need to search for natural products with therapeutic potential due to increasing resistance to conventional animal and plant antiparasitic products [6,7]. The pharmacological activity of certain terrestrial invertebrates has been described [11,12,13], but such studies are very limited
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