scholarly journals Observations on the Association between Some Buprestid and Cerambycid Beetles and Black Frankincense Resin Inducement

Diversity ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Hilary Sommerlatte ◽  
Ben-Erik Van Wyk

Samburu resin harvesters in northern Kenya maintain that frankincense resin flow from Boswellia neglecta and Commiphora confusa is induced by insect larval activity. Observations on the insects’ larval behaviour support these claims. During the frankincense harvest, buprestid beetle larvae, identified as a Sphenoptera species, are found under B. neglecta resin, eating the monoterpene-rich inner bark, which apparently stimulates the trees to produce copious amounts of fresh resin. The same behaviour was observed with cerambycid beetle larvae, identified as Neoplocaederus benningseni Kolbe, on C. confusa trees. Remarkably, these insects have developed the capacity to digest the resin-saturated inner bark and overcome the toxic, repellent characteristics of oleo-monoterpenes. The frankincense resin also appears to act as a protective covering during the insects’ larval and pupal stages. Excessive tree damage was not noted from these insect invasions. Even though the tree species are from different genera, the resin produced by both is black, with a very similar aromatic chemical profile. The question thus arises as to whether the larval feeding behaviour of these beetle species has an influence, not only on the physical appearance but also on the chemical composition of the resins.

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 251
Author(s):  
Maria Fraga-Corral ◽  
Paz Otero ◽  
Lucia Cassani ◽  
Javier Echave ◽  
Paula Garcia-Oliveira ◽  
...  

Tannins are polyphenolic compounds historically utilized in textile and adhesive industries, but also in traditional human and animal medicines or foodstuffs. Since 20th-century, advances in analytical chemistry have allowed disclosure of the chemical nature of these molecules. The chemical profile of extracts obtained from previously selected species was investigated to try to establish a bridge between traditional background and scientific data. The study of the chemical composition of these extracts has permitted us to correlate the presence of tannins and other related molecules with the effectiveness of their apparent uses. The revision of traditional knowledge paired with scientific evidence may provide a supporting background on their use and the basis for developing innovative pharmacology and food applications based on formulations using natural sources of tannins. This traditional-scientific approach can result useful due to the raising consumers’ demand for natural products in markets, to which tannin-rich extracts may pose an attractive alternative. Therefore, it is of interest to back traditional applications with accurate data while meeting consumer’s acceptance. In this review, several species known to contain high amounts of tannins have been selected as a starting point to establish a correlation between their alleged traditional use, tannins content and composition and potential bioaccessibility.


2011 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 1269-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando A. Abrunhosa ◽  
Darlan J.B. Simith ◽  
Joely R.C. Monteiro ◽  
Antonio N. de Souza Junior ◽  
Pedro A.C. Oliva

Feeding is an important factor for the successful rearing of larvae of the crab species. Further information on the morphological features of the foregut may to reveal larval feeding behaviour and or/whether there is a lecithotrophy in some or even in all stages of the larval cycle. In the present study, the structural development of the foregut and their digestive functions were examined in larvae of two brachyurans, Uca vocator and Panopeus occidentalis, reared in the laboratory. During larval development, the foreguts of the larvae in the first and last zoeal stages and in the megalopa stage were microscopically examined, described and illustrated. The zoeal foreguts of both species were well developed, showing specialization with a functional cardiopyloric valve and a filter press. The megalopa stage had a complex and specialized gastric mill similar to that found in adult crabs with the appearance of rigidly calcified structures. These results support the hypothesis that the feeding behaviour of each larval stage is directly related to the morphological structure of the foregut. Such facts strongly indicate that all larval stages of both . vocator and P occidentalis need an external food source before completing the larval development in a planktonic environment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1400900
Author(s):  
Mikel González ◽  
Sergio López ◽  
Gloria Rosell ◽  
Arturo Goldarazena ◽  
Angel Guerrero

The chemical profile of the cuticle and internal tissues of four species of Culicoides have been studied for the first time by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The chemical composition of females of C. obsoletus s.l. and C. lupicaris, vectors of diverse viral diseases, have been compared with that of other biting midges, such as C. kibunensis and C. fascipennis, and the non-biting midge Forcipomyia bipunctata. A total of 61 compounds belonging to 8 major chemical classes were identified in cuticular and internal tissues in n-hexane extracts. The compounds include carboxylic acids (CAs) (C6-C20), with C16:0, C16:1 and C18:1 being dominant, branched hydrocarbons (C29 to C38 mono/di/trimethylalkanes), linear hydrocarbons (C15 to C33, mainly odd chain carbons), terpenes (geranylacetone, geranylgeraniol acetate, squalene, terpenic alcohol), steroids (cholesterol), aldehydes (C9-C10 and even chain C20 to C30), and esters. The chemical profile depends on the species and whether the extracts are external (cuticle) or internal. The contents of linear and branched hydrocarbons and aldehydes was high in cuticular extracts but practically absent in internal tissues, which were, in contrast, rich in CAs, terpenes and steroids. The results are discussed and compared with other Culicoides midges and mosquito-related species.


Author(s):  
A. de Vega ◽  
J. Gasa ◽  
M. Fondevila ◽  
A. López

Rumen capacity together with speed of rumen emptying limit voluntary intake of low quality well balanced forages (Ellis et al., 1983). Chemical composition and physical processing have important effect on both digestion plus absorption and passage through the reticulo-omasal orifice. Feeding chopped forage generate a large rumen pool of coarse particles which must be broken down by chewing and ruminating before to have a chance to escape from the compartment (Grovum, 1983). Grinding, by contrast, greatly reduce this rumen pool increasing likelihood of particles to leave the foregut (Rodrigue and Allen, 1960). This paper aims to study the effect of physical processing of roughage on feeding behaviour and digestive kinetics together with voluntary intake and digestibility.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1824
Author(s):  
Luís R. O. Cruz ◽  
Nikolaos Polyzos ◽  
Ângela Fernandes ◽  
Spyridon A. Petropoulos ◽  
Francesco Di Gioia ◽  
...  

The present study investigated the effect of salinity (Control: 1.8 dS/m, S1: 3.0 dS/m and S2: 4.5 dS/m) on the chemical composition and bioactive properties of three basil cultivars (Red Basil, Dark Opal Red and Basilico Rosso). Crop performance was not affected by increasing salinity in DoR and BaR. Fat, ash and carbohydrates content increased by salinity in DoR, whereas energetic value was negatively affected. Free sugars (total and individual compounds) increased under saline conditions (S2) in BaR, whereas reducing trends were observed for the main organic acids and tocopherols in all the cultivars. The major fatty acids were α-linolenic, linoleic and palmitic acids with no consistent salinity effects, while the richest polyphenols were sagerinic acid and eriodictyol-O-malonylhexoside. Finally, basil extracts showed moderate antioxidant and strong antifungal activity. In conclusion, salinity showed a genotype dependent effect on the chemical profile and bioactivities of the tested cultivars.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (11) ◽  
pp. 2403-2409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Cook ◽  
Fred P. Hain

The wound response of loblolly, Pinus taeda L., and shortleaf, P. echinata Mill., pine was examined for 14 days following wounding and inoculation of the trees with Ceratocystis minor (Hedgecock) Hunt, a fungal associate of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann. Lesion length increased at a constant rate during June, while during July there was an initially rapid lesion formation followed by a leveling off for both tree species. Lesion enlargement occurred faster from days 2 through 7 in July for both species, and at the end of the 14-day study periods, the loblolly pines had a longer average lesion length than did the shortleaf pines during both months. During June, there was an initial increase in resin flow rate followed by a decrease in resin flow rate for several days and then an increased resin flow rate to levels similar to or above the rate measured prior to wounding. During July, the initial increase in resin flow rate following inoculation was not observed. Average soluble-sugar content decreased and monoterpene concentration increased in the lesion inner bark tissue. Inner bark monoterpene composition also changed, with the percentage of α-pinene increasing or remaining unchanged in loblolly pine and decreasing in the shortleaf pine. The observed differences in tree response to fungal invasion may be important in determining if an individual can repel or impede invasion by D. frontalis at different times during the summer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Meng Zheng ◽  
Zhentang Zhang ◽  
Hengying Peng ◽  
Wenling Dai ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Galli gigeriae endothelium corneum (GGEC) has been effectively used for centuries for the treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) in clinical practice in Asian countries. However, its potential mechanism and chemical composition remains undertermined. Methods In this study, the chemical profile of GGEC ethyl acetate extract (EAE) was evaluated by HPLC-Q-TOF–MS/MS. The effects of EAE on intestinal barrier function and inflammation were investigated in IEC-6 cells and RAW264.7 cells. Results The results showed that 33 compounds were tentatively identified, including 12 soy isoflavones, 7 bile acids for the first time in EAE. EAE significantly reinforced intestinal barrier function via increasing the tight junction protein levels of ZO-1 and Occludin, reducing the mRNA expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-challenged IEC-6 cells. The scratch wound assay showed that EAE accelerated wound healing of IEC-6 cells. EAE evidently reduced the level of NO in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 18.12 μg/mL, and the mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells. Conclusion This study revealed the intestinal barrier protective effects and chemical profile of GGEC, and the results indicated that GGEC strengthened the intestinal barrier by up-regulating protein expression of tight junctions and limiting inflammatory responses.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (17) ◽  
pp. 5215
Author(s):  
Barbara Chilczuk ◽  
Beata Marciniak ◽  
Renata Kontek ◽  
Małgorzata Materska

Ethanol extracts of two types of pepper (sweet and hot) were separated into fractions with increasing lipophilicity. After drying the extracts and fractions, their chemical composition, anti-radical activity in the DPPH radical system, and cytotoxic activity against PC-3 and HTC-116 cells were determined. A detailed qualitative analysis of the fractions was performed with the LC-QTOF-MS method. It was found that the chemical composition of pepper fractions did not always reflect their biological activity. The highest antiradical activity was detected in the fraction eluted with 40% methanol from sweet pepper. The highest total content of phenolic compounds was found in an analogous fraction from hot pepper, and this fraction showed the strongest cytotoxic effect on the PC-3 tumour line. The LC-MS analysis identified 53 compounds, six of which were present only in sweet pepper and four only in hot pepper. The unique chemical composition of the extracts was found to modulate their biological activity, which can only be verified experimentally.


Sociobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 433
Author(s):  
Erika Fernandes Neves ◽  
Thiago Santos Montagna ◽  
Luiz Carlos Santos Junior ◽  
Kamylla Balbuena Michelutti ◽  
Claudia Andrea Lima Cardoso ◽  
...  

Juvenile  Hormone  (JH)  is  considered  the  main  determinant  of  caste  in  social insects, though little is known about how this hormone acts in social wasps, especially the independent-founding species. The known relationship between JH titer and caste in the colony and we suggest a relationship among the effects of JH and the cuticular chemical profile. Therefore, this study aimed to test the hypothesis that topical application of JH to larvae of different instars alters the cuticular chemical composition of newly emerged females of Mischocyttarus consimilis (Zikán), influencing the dynamics of colony. Two techniques were used to evaluate the variation in cuticular chemical composition: Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Indeed, the application of JH did significantly alter the cuticular chemical composition of adult females that received treatment at the larval stage in comparison to control. The effects of JH were instar-dependent in that the results of topical application were significant when performed at third larval instar. Overall, these results add evidence that caste determination may, at least in part may be pre-imaginal in species of independent-founding social wasps.


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