Abstract
The effects of extracts (petroleum ether, ethanol, water) of Ajuga reptans on the moult cycle were investigated in the last-larval instar of Periplaneta americana. Petroleum ether, as well as ethanol extracts, delay the onset of the imaginal moult. At the same time, when 100% of the control animals had moulted, only 30% of the treated animals had moulted. Water extract shows only a slight effect. In animals treated with an ethanol extract, a gradual involution of the cytoplasm of prothoracic gland cells is seen, depending on the duration of the treatment. Consequently the portion of intracellular spaces significantly increases. As seen by radioimmunoassay, at any time after the last-larval moult, ecdysteroid production by the prothoracic glands from animals treated with ethanolic Ajuga extracts stays at the low level of the intermoult animals. The fact that the secretion of the ecdysial glands remains at the low intermoult level suggests (along with other contributing facts) that there is an inhibitory influence on the gland rather than a cytotoxic effect.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
