• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.715-723
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• 2015

Insects represent the largest class within the animal kingdom in terms of species number. Humans had been utilized insect in the broad area, including food, agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals and so on. At present, insects are emerging as a leading group for identifying and extracting novel bioactive substances due to enormous number and a high nutritional value. Insects rely on a suite of systemic response to resist infection such as immune cells, hemocytes, activation of enzymes cascades, and antimicrobial peptide/protein. Among the substances, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are main components of potent antimircrobial innate defense system into the insect hemolymph. AMPs raise influential candidate as avenue to resolve the development of antibiotic-resistant microbial organism. Insect AMPs are classified into four main classes: cecropins, insect defensins, glycine/proline-rich peptides. Insect AMPs have been purified, over 150. In this review, AMPs derived from several insects were summarized including honey bee, dung beetle, butterfly and longicorn beetle. These peptides almost exhibited potent antimicrobial activities against human microbial pathogens without causing remarkable hemolysis to erythrocytes excluding melittin, and their mode of action(s) are based on disruption of the plasma membrane or fungal apoptosis. Therefore, study of insect AMPs is expected to be useful for designing novel therapeutic antimicrobial applications.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.219-224
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• 2019

The super mealworm, Zophobas morio, is mainly used as food for pets, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and as snacks. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of temperature, supplementary feeding, and spawning interval on super mealworm rearing. To efficiently rear this species, the insects were bred at a temperature of $27^{\circ}C$ or higher and reached a weight of over 0.6 g at 80 days after hatching. Supplementary feed (with high protein content: 10% of soybean meal and 10% of fish meal) enabled larvae to reach a weight of over 0.7 g at 80 days after hatching. Mass rearing of super mealworm requires increase in egg production (i.e., high yield) and uniformity of larvae. Adults were transferred to spawning bases every 5, 10, or 15 days (three treatments), which resulted in a total of 7,256, 5,439, 2,060 hatched larvae, respectively. It is possible to obtain more than 7,000 larvae by transferring the egg-laying frame to the spawning base at intervals of 5 days and with nine spawning operations; this procedure generates larvae weighing over 0.68 g each.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.60-66
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• 2021

Various insects live around us. Nowadays, insects are raised as a hobby at home or medicinal insects are bred in large quantities for commercial purposes. In addition, various studies have been conducted to understand the various growth characteristics of insects. In the laboratory, environmental factors were changed to do that, but only the growth characteristics could be analyzed. However, it is almost not easy to measure the skin temperature or body temperature basically needed to reveal the growth characteristics in the case of insects. In particular, the results of experiments on the skin temperature of winged insects are very insufficient. In this study, the skin temperature of insects was photographed and measured for bees and butterflies living in natural conditions under various biological activity conditions such as at rest and during flight using a thermal imaging camera, a non-contact temperature measurement method. Through quantitative analysis of the experimental results, the relationship between the biological activity characteristics of each insect and the skin temperature resulting from such biological activity was investigated. In addition, it was confirmed that honeybees maintained different skin temperatures for three important activities, such as flying, honey collection, and relocation, and that the butterflies performed a warm-up stage for flight similar to the characteristics of moths.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.898-904
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• 2021

Locusta migratoria is a widespread locust species in many parts of the world and is considered an alternative source for the production of protein for value-added ingredients. We previously identified putative antimicrobial peptides derived from L. migratoria through an in silico analysis of its transcriptome. However, its anti-inflammatory effect has not been studied. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activities of the antimicrobial peptide locustacin (KTHILSFFPSFLPLFLKK-NH₂) derived from L. migratoria on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Locustacin (50, 100, and 200 ㎍/ml) significantly reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-stimulated macrophages without any cytotoxicity. Locustacin also inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, such as inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, in contrast to the presence of LPS alone. Locustacin decreased the release of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, and their gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, locustacin (100 and/or 200 ㎍/ml) inhibited phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal regulated kinase, p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Locustacin also suppressed the degradation of inhibitory kappa B alpha, which was considered to be an inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Collectively, these results demonstrate that locustacin can exert anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation, activation of NF-κB, and downstream inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated macrophage cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.987-994
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• 2021

Our previous studies have reported that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from the larvae of white-spotted flower chafer (Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis) exert anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. This study explored the anti-inflammatory effects of protaetiamycine 9 (CVLKKAYFLTNLKLRG-NH₂), a novel AMP, derived from P. b. seulensis against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammatory response in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Protaetiamycine 9 (25, 50, 75, and 100 ㎍/ml) did not cause cytotoxic effects against RAW264.7 cells. The RAW264.7 cells were pre-treated with various concentrations of protaetiamycine 9 (25-100 ㎍/ml) for 1 hr and then exposed to LPS (100 ng/ml) for 24 hr. Protaetiamycine 9 treatments decreased the LPS-induced secretion of inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), in a dose-dependent manner. Protaetiamycine 9 (25-100 ㎍/ml) effectively downregulated the LPS-induced increase in mRNA and the protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which are involved in the production of inflammatory mediators. Protaetiamycine 9 also suppressed the production and gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, compared to the presence of LPS alone. Furthermore, protaetiamycine 9 inhibited the degradation of inhibitory kappa B alpha (IκB-α) and the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38. In conclusion, these results suggest that protaetiamycine 9 exhibits LPS-mediated inflammatory responses by blocking IκB-α degradation and MAPK phosphorylation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.865-871
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• 2022

Tenebrio molitor larvae is well known as edible insect. Then, although it has been widely studied that Tenebrio molitor larvae has various bioactive functions such as antioxidant, anti-wrinkle, and anticancer. Nevertheless, antioxidant effects of Tenebrio molitor larvae water extract (TMH) has not been well described in Adult Retina Pigment Epithelial cell line (ARPE-19). In this study, we demonstrated that antioxidant effects of TMH against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in ARPE-19. Thus, we selected for our studies and performed a series of dose-response assay to determine the working concentration that lead to a consistent and high degree of cytotoxicity, which we defined as the level of H₂O₂ that killed 40% of the ARPE-19 cells. ARPE-19 cells were pre-treated with various concentrations of TMH (0.1 up to 2 mg/ml) before exposure to 300 µM H₂O₂. As we expected, TMH effectively prevented ARPE-19 cells from 300 µM H₂O₂-induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, TMH inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38. Overall, the inhibitory effects of TMH on H₂O₂-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress were associated with the protection cleaved caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, and HO-1. The TMH suppressed H₂O₂-induced cell membrane leakage and oxidative stress in ARPE-19 cells. Thus, these results suggest that the TMH plays an important role in antioxidant effect in ARPE-19.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 2018

Recently, interest and necessity for the insect industry has been increasing. Insects, which are referred to as the second food, are being used in various fields. Interest in mass production of insects has been increasing in various fields, and the need for research on environmental analysis for them is also increasing. In some countries in other developed countries, automated breeding systems have been developed that incorporate IoT. However, it is limited to be applied to many kinds of insects, and the price is so expensive that it has not been utilized in farm households. Therefore, we have carried out a study to make an optimal system that can be used practically in a farmhouse. Protaetia brevitarsis used for medicinal and edible purposes. It automatically checks the moisture of sawdust medium, which has the greatest influence on the environment of the slugs, which is the third larva of the grasshopper, and informs the result through the LED. It is applied to the environment to create an optimal breeding environment. I want to make it.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.249-254
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• 2022

Silkworms, which have for long been used as an insect resource for industrialization, have recently attracted attention as potential bio-factories for the production of novel biomaterials. In this regard, material production is typically achieved based on transformation technology, mediated via microinjection, in which a target gene is inserted into eggs containing an embryo. However, an essential step in the microinjection procedure is egg fixation, which can be a time-consuming and laborious task. Therefore, in this study, using the 3DCADian program, we adopted a 3D printing approach to model egg liners and glue drawers, which can contribute to facilitating egg alignment and fixation, thereby enhancing transformation efficiency by reducing time consumption and fatigue. After rendering using Fusion 360, the two supplementary tools were produced by printing with nylon resin (PA12) and Sinterit Lisa Pro. Subsequent analysis of the time required to fix eggs on glass slides using the two manufactured tools, revealed that the processing time was reduced by approximately 18.6% when the two tools were used compared with when these tools were not used. These innovations not only reduced fatigue but also contributed to more effective use of the microscope and manipulator for microinjection. Consequently, we believe that with additional research and refinement, the egg liner and glue drawer developed in this study could be used to enhance silkworm transformation efficiency and study similar transformation systems in other industrial insects.

• Food Industry
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• s.206
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• pp.22-25
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• 2008

식품의 채취, 제조, 가공, 조리, 저장, 운반, 보존 등을 행하는 장소는 쥐, 박쥐, 파리 등 위해해충들이 생식하지 않는 것이 가장 이상적인 것이다, 그러나 그와 같은 상태가 일시적인 것이 아니고 장기간 유지하기 위하여서는 해당 시설은 물론 환경을 포함한 종합적인 대책이 필요할 것이다. 또한, 이와 같은 동물이나 해충은 그 종류도 많고 각각 그 생태나 습성도 같이 않으므로 그 방제 대책도 각각 다른 것이다.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.10
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• pp.89-97
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• 1969

우리나라의 잠사업은 농가의 소득증대와 수출산업으로서 계속 성장해 왔다. 그러나 지금까지는 양적인 광대에 치중한 나머지 질적인 면에서 미흡한 점이 있어 국제수준에 비하면 그생산수준이 상당히 낮은 실정에 있다. 그러므로 잠사업이 계속 안정된 산업으로 성장발전해 나가자면 무엇보다 생산량과 직결되는 양잠농가의 기술적인 개량과 경영의 합리화를 꾀하여 생산성의 향상을 기하고 생산비를 절감하여 농가의 실질소득을 증대시키는 동시에 국제시장에 있어서의 경쟁력을 강화해야 할 것이다.(중략)