Abstract

The wild silkworm Antheraea mylitta is grown and cultivated in several parts of India ranging from Bihar to West Bengal and several parts of Telangana. The wild silkworm rearing has been a source of income for the tribal populations who rely on it as income source; the intervention of government agencies has increased the cultivation. Our research involves understanding the secondary metabolites in the silkworm Cocoons and elucidating how the pupa survives the harsh environment during pupal diapause of the insect. We have realized the role of insect repellent compounds and other metabolites and their interaction with the insect. Wild silkworm Cocoons are the specialized natural structures constructed by Antheraea mylitta silkworms. They are the protein composites of sericin and fibroin as a structural material. The silkworm cocoons are presumed to be evolved structures through the course of evolution over millions of years. This chapter focuses on Biophysical analysis of chemical compounds, proteins and other secondary metabolites traced in the Wild Antheraea mylitta Tasar cocoons which are predicted to be the key factors to achieve the unique structural and chemical barriers to protect the pupa within the cocoons.

Highlights

  • In wild silkworms host plant specificity is achieved due to the co-evolution of host plants and their monophagous or oligophagous specific herbivorous insect’s leads to the accretion of host plant derived allelochemicals in the specific insect cocoons

  • The economically significant insect cocoons of Tasar silkworm revealed for biological functions by their secondary metabolites like saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins and phytosterols sequestered from plant into the larvae to cocoons [1]

  • The secondary metabolites consumed by the silkworms

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Summary

Introduction

In wild silkworms host plant specificity is achieved due to the co-evolution of host plants and their monophagous or oligophagous specific herbivorous insect’s leads to the accretion of host plant derived allelochemicals in the specific insect cocoons. In the cocoons of mulberry silkworms three flavonoid 5-glucosides and many other flavonoids of host plant were identified in the sericin layer in yellow-green cocoon of the Sasammayu silkworms These flavonoids from silkworm cocoons are proved effective for free radical scavenging, antioxidation, inhibition of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, and anti-inflammatory action [4] Recently along with mulberry silkworms, the wild non-mulberry silkworms emerged as commercially significant in textile industry [5] in present study we focused on the extraction of non-protein active chemical compounds Antheraea mylitta cocoons qualitatively and validated by using Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas chromatography–Mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Wild silkworm species including Tasar silkworms are heavily mineralized with calcium oxalates (Figure 2) [12] In addition to this wild cocoon are stabilized by oxidative phenolic tanning, dityrosine cross-linking, and tannins derived from the caterpillar’s food. The most important difference lay in the mineralization that very much common in wild Silkworms but absent in Bombyx mori and the difference arise from the gluing together of the fibers in mineralized matrix of wild silk cocoons made them moisture resistant (Figure 4) [14]

Bioactive silk proteins
Biomedical applications of silk proteins
Bioactive Tasar cocoon secondary metabolites
Decanoic acid, methyl ester and N-hexadecanoic acid
Oleic acid
Octadecanoic acid and oxalic acid, allylpentadecyl ester
Findings
Conclusion
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