No abstract

Silkworm pupae have much potential and many applications as a natural medicine to promote human health. However, their chemical components have not been fully characterized or understood. HPLC analysis was conducted to determine the content ratio (%) of individual amino acids in total protein of the pupae. It showed that glutamic acid (18.3%), histidine (14.6%) and alanine (10.2%) are the most common amino acids in silkworm pupae. Fatty acid composition of silkworm pupae oil was revealed by high‐pressure liquid chromatography and gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy analyses. They contain a high ratio of essential fatty acids, [α‐linolenic acid (ω‐3 fatty acid]+ linoleic acid) (49.0%), and also contain non‐essential fatty acids, oleic acid (19.9%), palmitoleic acid (2.5%), palmitic acid (19.7%), stearic acid (8.6%), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (0.3%). In addition, they also contain antioxidants, quercetin diglucoside and nutritionally important riboflavin (vitamin B2). This study suggests that silkworm pupae are a nutritionally valuable food product and are applicable as cosmetic components with essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins. The animal experiment showed that alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was significantly higher in the liver of mice orally administered with 0.5 mg/mL of silkworm extract and alcohol than with commercial Dawn808™ and alcohol, indicating that silkworm pupae extracts have alcohol detoxification activity.

A male silkworm pupae extract with herbal mixtures such as Rubus coreanus Miquel, Chinese matrimony vine Acanthopanax senticosus and tocopherol can be effectively used to recover or boost stamina. In this study, the effect of the male silkworm pupae extract on the reproductive system of Sprague–Dawley male rats was investigated. No clinical symptoms, and no dying or dead animals were found among experimental male silkworm larvae extract, male silkworm pupae extract and control rat groups during the study. No significant differences were found in body weights, feed or water consumption, or macroscopic examination among the three groups. No lesion was found upon necropsy. However, sperm in the group treated with male silkworm pupae extract were significantly more active than sperm in the control group. Sperm counts in both male groups treated with male silkworm larvae extract and male silkworm pupae extract were significantly higher than sperm counts in the control group. Analysis of phospholipid–hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) gene expression showed that the male silkworm pupae extract increased expression in testes by 26.7%. This study shows that the male silkworm pupae extract has potential to be used to enhance the function of the human reproductive system.