Accumulation of Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) in Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) exhibits potent anti-carcinogenic and other biological activities in several animal models. We report here that dietary CLA, chemically synthesized from corn oil, accumulates I silkworm, Bombyx mori, which is used as therapeutic agent for diabetes in Korea and Japan. Mulberry leaves treated with 0.1 or 10% CLA in ethanol were supplied to silkworms from the end of 3rd instar to the 3rd day of the 5th instar. Fresh mulberry leaves or leaves treated with 10% corn oil in ethanol were fed as a check treatment. the amount of total lipids in the larval body ranged from 17.4 to 19.1mg/g of body tissue, which was not significantly affected by the source of the diets. No CLA was found in the control silkworms. But the level of CLA significantly increased to 83.5 mg/g of fat, when fed with mulberry leaves treated with 10% CLA. Only trace amounts of CLA were detected in the larvae reared with check leaves and 0.1% CLA-treated leaves. Mulberry leaves treatd with corn oil or CLA were not palatable to the larvae, resulting in a reduction of larval weight. These results suggest that silkworms containing CLA in body lipids could be producted by dietary CLA.