Effects of DDT on the Blood of Tenebrio Molitor Linnaeus1

Abstract

Biochemical determinations on the blood of the mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, show that exposure to DDT resulted in no change in protein nitrogen, 50 percent increase in non-protein nitrogen, 90 percent increase in reducing compounds, and 70 percent increase in amino nitrogen. Chromatographic determination showed a comparable 60 percent increase in the amino nitrogen. Eighteen amino compounds were separated and identified chromatographically with phenol butanol-acetic acid, collidine and lutidine as solvents. They are alanine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glycine, glutamic acid, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, norleucine, ornithine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, taurine, threonine, tyrosine and valine. Most of the compounds increased as a result of DDT poisoning, but norleucine and taurine decreased. Since changes obtained in the blood of insects due to starvation and DDT poisoning are similar, it is likely that the starvation which follows DDT poisoning is the cause of death of the insect.