• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.155-196
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• 2001

Basically insect hormones include ecdysteroids (molting hormone), juvenile hormones, and neurohormones comprising neuropeptides and biogenic amines. This article reviewed their chemical structures and biological functions. The active molting hormone is 20-hydroxyecdysone in most insects but makisterone A in some other insects including the honey bee and several phytophagous hemipterans. Most insects use JH III, but lepidopterans JH I and II. Dipterans also use a different JH, so-called JH $B_3$(JH III bisepoxide) and we still do not know the exact chemical structure of JH utilized in hemipterans. Some other insects use methyl farnesoate or hydroxylated JH III analogues as their juvenile hormone. Most diverse pictures can be found in neurohormones (NH), especially in neuropeptides, in terms of their number and structure. There are more than 200 neuropeptides (NP), classified into more than 30 families, which structures have been identified, and more of them are expected to be reported in the near future, partly due to rapid development in molecular biological techniques and in analytical techniques. More than half of them are involved in controlling activity of visceral muscles. But function (s) of many NPs are not clarified yet, even though their amino acid sequences have been identified. It is partly due to the fact that a single NP may have multiple functions. Another interesting point is their gene structure, having many number of independent, active peptides in one gene, apparently working for similar or totally different functions. NH also includes amines, such as octopamine, dopamine, serotonin, etc. From now on, investigation will be concentrated on identifying their function (s) and receptors, and on possibilities of their utilization as control agents against pest insects.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.129-135
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• 2011

Cathepsins are well-characterized proteases that are ubiquitously expressed in lysosomes. Previous work revealed that $Bombyx$ $mori$ cathepsins B and D are expressed in the fat body and undergo decomposition during larval-pupal metamorphosis. Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to detect cathepsin gene expression at the transcription level when challenged by $B.$ $mori$ nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV), temperature and hormones (20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and juvenile hormone analogue (JHA)). mRNAs encoding cathepsins B and D were significantly enhanced after the larvae were infected with BmNPV, and the peak of the induction appeared at 1 day before spinning. This attenuated the inducing effect on cathepsin expression caused by infection. Temperature shock induced cathepsin expression at the later stage of the $5^{th}$ instar, and transcription levels varied with development stage and temperature. Cathepsin B and D mRNA expression in the fat body were significantly induced by JHA at the day before spinning, and with 20E, the expression reached a peak at the last day of the $5^{th}$ instar. Cathepsin B and D mRNA expression exhibited detectable changes post-treatment, without significant differences between or among the hormone concentrations.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.145-150
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• 2019

In this study, we used extracts obtained from five different solvents (water, ethanol, hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol) of Achyranthes japonica (AJ) and also AJ fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) to confirm effects on the anti-inflammatory activity in RAW264.7 cells. Experiments of measuring nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine production were performed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells, and the expression of both cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was observed by a western blot method. The cytotoxicity of RAW264.7 was confirmed by the cell counting kit (CCK) assay at a concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$, which has no toxicity. As a result of the inhibition of NO production, the inhibition rate of AJ-LP extracted with ethanol samples was about 74% higher than that of using the control group. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), and Interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), which are inflammatory cytokines, also showed an excellent efficacy with inhibition rates of about 57, 70, and 74%, respectively. Comparing to the results of COX-2 and iNOS expression in the AJ group, the inhibition rate of 20-hydroxyecdysone was the highest than others. On the other hand, the COX-2 expression level of AJ-LP group decreased about 16% compared to that of the control group, and the iNOS expression level was also decreased about 7%. These results suggest that the extract of AJ fermented from L. plantarum can be used as an anti-inflammatory natural material.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 1983

It has been known that the insect molting hormone and its analogues exist also in plant kingdom and their concentration has been found to be about 0.1~2.0% of dry matter, which is equivalent to $10^3{\sim}10^5$ times of those in insects. This study was carried out; 1) to isolate the phytoecdysones from Korean Achyranthes radix and characterize their physico-chemical properties. 2) to investigate the biological activity of this phytoecdysone on Bombyx mori larvae. The resuls were summarized as follows; 1. The extraction method of phytoecdysones was optimized by three consecutive reflux for 1hr using 200g of dried and milled radix per 1l methanol. 2. The purification from the crude extract was made by a series of steps such as precipitation of gum-type polymer with n-Butyl acetate, adsorption on technical grade silica and chromatography with neutral alumina. The conditions of each step were optimized and the resulting crude crystal was about 500mg per kg dry radix. 3. The crude crystal from the cultivated Achyranthes(Achyranthes japonia) contained ecdysterone (20-hydroxyecdysone) and inokosterone in the proportion of one to one. In order to separate these, a series of processes such as acetylation, separation by alumina column chromatography deacetylation by alcoholysis, deionization and crystallization were introduced and optimized 125mg of ecdysterone and 18mg of inokosterone per kg dry radix were thus obtained. 4. The wild Achyranthes (Achyranthes obtusifolia) radix was found to contain the ecdysterone only. A 285mg of ecdysterone was crystallized per kg dry radix. 5. Isolated ecdysterone, inodosterone and acetylated compounds were characterized by IR., UV., NMR spectroscopy, mp, TLC and densitometry. 6. Ligation experiment was undertaken to confirm the biological activity of the purified ecdysterone; the ecdysterone could induce larval-pupal metamorphosis in the ligated abdomen of 4th instar larvae injecting 0.5~1.0${\mu}g$. 7. By ecdysterone feeding experiment using artificial diet, it was elucidated that the critical time of feeding would be the first half of each instar resulting in increased weight of silk layer. 8. The ecdysterone was fed to 5th instar silkworm at the level of 1, 2, 3, 5ppm of dry feed of artificial diet containing 5% mulberry leaves for 72hrs. At 2ppm of the concentration. body weight and silk layer weight were arrived at maximum. But at higher concentrations body weight and silk layer weight decreased than the control group. At 2ppm of the concentration, body weight was increased by 12.5%. 9. Feeding 2ppm of ecdysterone at the later half of 5th instar, the duration of larvae was shortened.