Ulomoides dermestoides

Last updated

Ulomoides dermestoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Family: Tenebrionidae
Subfamily: Diaperinae
Genus: Ulomoides
Species:U. dermestoides
Binomial name
Ulomoides dermestoides
(Fairmaire, 1893)
Synonyms
  • Martianus dermestoides
  • Palembus dermestoides

Ulomoides dermestoides is a species of beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, known under a variety of common names, such as Chinese beetle, Chinese weevil, peanut beetle, cancer beetle, or asthma beetle. While native to Asia, it has been spread worldwide due to the belief that it has medicinal properties.

Beetle order of insects

Beetles are a group of insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal life-forms; new species are discovered frequently. The largest of all families, the Curculionidae (weevils) with some 70,000 member species, belongs to this order. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops.

In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; this kind of name is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism, which is Latinized. A common name is sometimes frequently used, but that is by no means always the case.

Asia Earths largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres

Asia is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It shares the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe and the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. Asia covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometres (17,212,000 sq mi), about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of the first civilizations. Asia is notable for not only its overall large size and population, but also dense and large settlements, as well as vast barely populated regions. Its 4.5 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the world's population.

Contents

History

Like other members of the genus Ulomoides , U. dermestoides is a pest of grain and grain products, and is easily reared on bread and similar foodstuffs. Ulomoides dermestoides was widely applied in Japanese and Chinese folk medicines in the treatment of low back pain, cough, and respiratory disorders such as asthma. [1] The beetle primarily came to international attention around 2000, when news reports emerged that it was being imported and eaten in Argentina and Brazil; beetles were reared at home and distributed through a community network that promoted the consumption of live beetles, with the purpose of alleviating or curing "diseases such as asthma, Parkinson's, diabetes, arthritis, HIV and cancer." [2] At that time, it was commonly called "the chinese weevil" (or "gorgojo chino"), although it is not related to true weevils.

Argentina federal republic in South America

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi), Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, the fourth largest in the Americas, and the largest Spanish-speaking nation. The sovereign state is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires, which is the federal capital of the nation as decided by Congress. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Brazil Federal republic in South America

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers and with over 208 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the fifth most populous. Its capital is Brasília, and its most populated city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states, the Federal District, and the 5,570 municipalities. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas; it is also one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world.

Weevil superfamily of insects

Weevils are certain beetles, namely the ones belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea. They are usually small, less than 6 mm (0.24 in), and herbivorous. About 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several families, with most of them in the family Curculionidae. Some other beetles, although not closely related, bear the name "weevil", such as the biscuit weevil, which belongs to the family Ptinidae.

Medical Studies

Given that thousands of people were consuming large numbers of these beetles (several thousand per person), [2] the medical community responded with numerous studies, with a variety of results, though none confirming the claims of curative properties. The chemicals, primarily quinones, that the beetles produce as defensive compounds are capable of killing cells (significant cytotoxicity), affecting both healthy and cancerous tissues, [2] and overconsumption of beetles can lead to serious health complications such as pneumonia, [3] and thus contraindicated as a medical treatment. Diluted extract from these beetles has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties, but at higher doses the toxic effects predominate. [4]

The quinones are a class of organic compounds that are formally "derived from aromatic compounds [such as benzene or naphthalene] by conversion of an even number of –CH= groups into –C(=O)– groups with any necessary rearrangement of double bonds", resulting in "a fully conjugated cyclic dione structure". The class includes some heterocyclic compounds.

Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder or brown recluse spider.

Related Research Articles

Immunoglobulin E class of antibody

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a type of antibody that has only been found in mammals. IgE is synthesised by plasma cells. Monomers of IgE consist of two heavy chains and two light chains, with the ε chain containing 4 Ig-like constant domains (Cε1-Cε4). IgE's main function is immunity to parasites such as helminths like Schistosoma mansoni, Trichinella spiralis, and Fasciola hepatica. IgE is utilized during immune defense against certain protozoan parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum.

Glucocorticoid class of corticosteroids

Glucocorticoids are a class of corticosteroids, which are a class of steroid hormones. Glucocorticoids are corticosteroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor that is present in almost every vertebrate animal cell. The name "glucocorticoid" is a portmanteau and is composed from its role in regulation of glucose metabolism, synthesis in the adrenal cortex, and its steroidal structure. A less common synonym is glucocorticosteroid.

Prednisolone chemical compound

Prednisolone is a steroid medication used to treat certain types of allergies, inflammatory conditions, autoimmune disorders, and cancers. Some of these conditions include adrenocortical insufficiency, high blood calcium, rheumatoid arthritis, dermatitis, eye inflammation, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. It is used by mouth, injection into a vein, as a skin cream, and as eye drops.

Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system to block pain signaling to the brain.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), also referred to as psychoendoneuroimmunology (PENI) or psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (PNEI), is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. PNI takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating psychology, neuroscience, immunology, physiology, genetics, pharmacology, molecular biology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology.

Melittin chemical compound

Melittin is the main component and the major pain producing substance of honeybee venom. Melittin is a basic peptide consisting of 26 amino acids.

Omalizumab, sold under the trade name Xolair, is a medication originally designed to reduce sensitivity to allergens. It has been used to try to control severe allergic asthma, which does not respond to high doses of corticosteroids and less widely for chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Cancer immunotherapy The artificial stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer, improving on the systems natural ability to fight cancer

Cancer immunotherapy is the artificial stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer, improving on the system's natural ability to fight cancer. It is an application of the fundamental research of cancer immunology and a growing subspecialty of oncology. It exploits the fact that cancer cells often have tumor antigens, molecules on their surface that can be detected by the antibody proteins of the immune system, binding to them. The tumor antigens are often proteins or other macromolecules. Normal antibodies bind to external pathogens, but the modified immunotherapy antibodies bind to the tumor antigens marking and identifying the cancer cells for the immune system to inhibit or kill.

<i>Chlamydophila pneumoniae</i> species of obligate intracellular bacterium

Chlamydophila pneumoniae is a species of Chlamydophila, an obligate intracellular bacterium that infects humans and is a major cause of pneumonia. It was known as the Taiwan acute respiratory agent (TWAR) from the names of the two original isolates – Taiwan (TW-183) and an acute respiratory isolate designated AR-39. Until recently, it was known as Chlamydia pneumoniae, and that name is used as an alternate in some sources. In some cases, to avoid confusion, both names are given.

Mometasone chemical compound

Mometasone, also known as mometasone furoate, is a steroid medication used to treat certain skin conditions, hay fever, and asthma. Specifically it is used to prevent rather than treat asthma attacks. It can be applied to the skin, inhaled, or used in the nose.

Betulinic acid chemical compound

Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid which has antiretroviral, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a more recently discovered potential as an anticancer agent, by inhibition of topoisomerase. It is found in the bark of several species of plants, principally the white birch from which it gets its name, but also the ber tree, selfheal, the tropical carnivorous plants Triphyophyllum peltatum and Ancistrocladus heyneanus, Diospyros leucomelas, a member of the persimmon family, Tetracera boiviniana, the jambul, flowering quince, rosemary, and Pulsatilla chinensis.

Annexin A1 protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Annexin A1, also known as lipocortin I, is a protein that is encoded by the ANXA1 gene in humans.

An antileukotriene, also known as leukotriene modifier and leukotriene receptor antagonist, is a medication which functions as a leukotriene-related enzyme inhibitor or leukotriene receptor antagonist and consequently opposes the function of these inflammatory mediators; leukotrienes are produced by the immune system and serve to promote bronchoconstriction, inflammation, microvascular permeability, and mucus secretion in asthma and COPD. Leukotriene receptor antagonists are sometimes colloquially referred to as leukasts.

<i>Gleditsia sinensis</i> species of plant

Gleditsia sinensis is a species of flowering plant native to Asia.

Piclamilast chemical compound

Piclamilast, is a selective PDE4 inhibitor. It is comparable to other PDE4 inhibitors for its anti-inflammatory effects. It has been investigated for its applications to the treatment of conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and asthma. It is a second generation compound that exhibits structural functionalities of the PDE4 inhibitors cilomilast and roflumilast. The structure for piclamilast was first elucidated in a 1995 European patent application. The earliest mention of the name "piclamilast" was used in a 1997 publication.

Antibody-drug conjugate class of biopharmaceutical drug

Antibody-drug conjugates or ADCs are an important class of highly potent biopharmaceutical drugs designed as a targeted therapy for the treatment of people with cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, ADCs are intended to target and kill only the cancer cells and spare healthy cells. ADCs are complex molecules composed of an antibody linked to a biologically active cytotoxic (anticancer) payload or drug. Antibody-drug conjugates are examples of bioconjugates and immunoconjugates.

Withaferin A chemical compound

Withaferin A is a steroidal lactone, derived from Acnistus arborescens, Withania somnifera and other members of Solanaceae family. It has been traditionally used in ayurvedic medicine. It is the first member of the withanolide class of ergostane type product to be discovered. This natural product has wide range of pharmacological activities including cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-angiogenesis, anti-metastasis and anti-carcinogenic properties.

Cucurbitacin E chemical compound

Cucurbitacin E is a biochemical compound from the family of cucurbitacins. These are found in plants which are member of the family Cucurbitaceae, most of them coming from traditional Chinese medicinal plants, but also in other plants such as pumpkins and gourds.

Chronic Mycoplasma pneumonia and Chlamydia pneumonia infections are associated with the onset and exacerbation of asthma. These microbial infections result in chronic lower airway inflammation, impaired mucociliary clearance, an increase in mucous production and eventually asthma. Furthermore, children who experience severe viral respiratory infections early in life have a high possibility of having asthma later in their childhood. These viral respiratory infections are mostly caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus (HRV). Although RSV infections increase the risk of asthma in early childhood, the association between asthma and RSV decreases with increasing age. HRV on the other hand is an important cause of bronchiolitis and is strongly associated with asthma development. In children and adults with established asthma, viral upper respiratory tract infections (URIs), especially HRVs infections, can produce acute exacerbations of asthma. Thus, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and human rhinoviruses are microbes that play a major role in non-atopic asthma.

Insects in medicine

Insects have long been used in medicine, both traditional and modern, sometimes with little evidence of their effectiveness. For the purpose of the article, and in line with custom, medicinal uses of other arthropods such as spiders are included.

References

  1. ↑ Chu, G.S.T., J.R. Palmieri, and J.T. Sullivan. 1977. Beetle-eating: A Malaysia folk medical practice and its public health implications. Tropical Geographic Medicine 29: 422–427.
  2. 1 2 3 Rosana Crespo, M. Luciana Villaverde, Juan R. Girotti, Alba Güerci, M. Patricia Juárez, Margarita G. de Bravo. 2011. Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of defence secretion of Ulomoides dermestoides on A549 cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 136 (1): 204–209. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.056
  3. ↑ Bhupinder S. Natt, M.D., Janet M. Campion, M.D., and Kenneth S. Knox, M.D.. Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Associated with Ingestion of Ulomoides dermestoides Larvae (“Chinese Beetles”). Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2014;10:1667-1668. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201410-483LE
  4. ↑ Santos, R.C.V., Lunardelli, A., Caberlon, E. et al. (2010) Anti-inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Ulomoides dermestoides on Induced Pleurisy in Rats and Lymphoproliferation In Vitro. Inflammation 33: 173. doi:10.1007/s10753-009-9171-x
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.