Ulomoides dermestoides in alternative medicine: lipidic compound inhibited cell proliferation

CRESPO R.; VILLAVERDE, L.; GARCÍA DE BRAVO, M.; JUÁREZ, P.

Villa Carlos Paz

Congreso; XLIV Reunión Anual de SAIB; 2008

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:SimSun; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-alt:宋体; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;} @font-face {font-family:"@SimSun"; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun;} @page Section1 {size:21.0cm 842.0pt; margin:2.0cm 2.0cm 2.0cm 2.0cm; mso-header-margin:0cm; mso-footer-margin:0cm; mso-paper-source:15;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> The tenebrionid beetle Ulomoides dermestoides (Fairmaire, 1893), a stored grain product  pest, known in Argentina as gorgojo, is reared by people for ingestion alive as alternative medicine in the treatment of different illness, specially cancer. The aim of this study was  to improve the knowledge of the defense compounds released by stressed insects and determine their potential cell inhibitory activity. The analysis was performed with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to CGC-MS. In inhibitory assays we used an extract with the same composition. The effects on cellular proliferation and viability were analized on A549 cell line using MTT test and trypan blue cell counting. The major components of the extract are 1,4-benzoquinones (BQ) and 1-pentadecene (n-C15:1), in a 1,8 ratio. The IC50 value calculated with the MTT test was 0.678 eq/ml (1 equivalent = the amount of components extracted per beetle with CH2Cl2 during 20 min). The same concentration produced 40% inhibition of cell proliferation on A549 cells. We also tested the synthetic compounds individually and combined. The inhibition of A549 cells proliferation with BQ was similar to that obtained with the insect extract. C15:1 did not shown any inhibitory effect. We conclude that the BQ present in the insect extract is  responsible for inhibit cell proliferation and metabolic activity.