Anti-aging Effect and Gene Expression Profiling of Aged Rats Treated with G. bimaculatus Extract

Abstract

Extract from Gryllus bimaculatus crickets inhibits oxidation at the DNA level, with reduced production of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Microarray analyses were performed with a rat 28K cDNA clone set array to identify the gene expression profiles of aged (10 months old) Wistar Kyoto rats treated for one month with 100 mg/kg G. bimaculatus ethanol extract to assess the effects. The extract produced a meaningful anti-edema effect, evident by the inhibition of creatinine phosphokinase activity. The weights of abdominal and ovarian adipose tissues were reduced and the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissues was increased in an extract dose-dependent manner. Compared with untreated control rats, rats treated with the extract displayed the upregulation of 1053 genes including Fas (tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 6), Amigo3 (adhesion molecule with an immunoglobulin-like domain), Reticulon 4, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme (Hmgcr; a reductase), related anti-fatigue (enzyme metabolism), and Rtn antioxidant, and the downregulation of 73 genes including Ugt2b (UDP glycosyltransferase 2 family), Early growth response 1, and Glycoprotein m6a. Data suggest that G. bimaculatus extract may have value in lessening the effects of aging, resulting in a differential gene expression pattern indicative of a marked stress response and lower expression of metabolic and biosynthetic genes.

Insights into the genomic evolution of insects from cricket genomes

“…A rare but known health risk associated with cricket consumption, however, is sensitivity and allergy to crickets 44 , 45 . Nevertheless, not only is the cricket G. bimaculatus considered generally safe for human consumption, several studies also suggest that introducing crickets into one’s diet may confer multiple health benefits 46 – 48 . Crickets might therefore be part of the solution to the problem of feeding a worldwide growing population in a sustainable way.…”

Insights into the genomic evolution of insects from cricket genomes

“…A rare but known health risk associated with cricket consumption, however, is sensitivity and allergy to crickets 44,45 . Nevertheless, not only is the cricket G. bimaculatus considered generally safe for human consumption, several studies also suggest that introducing crickets into one's diet may confer multiple health benefits [46][47][48] .Crickets might therefore be part of the solution to the problem of feeding a worldwide growing population in a sustainable way. However, most of the crops and livestock that humans eat have been domesticated and subjected to strong artificial selection for hundreds or even thousands of years to improve their characteristics most desirable for humans, including size, growth rate, stress resistance, and organoleptic properties [49][50][51][52] .…”

“…Water soluble compounds derived from ethanol extracts of whole adult G. bimaculatus applied to cultured mouse spleen cells were reported to stimulate the expression of multiple cytokines associated with immune cell proliferation and activation (Dong-Hwan et al, 2004). Rats treated with ethanol extracts of whole adult G. bimaculatus showed signs of reduced aging, including characteristic aging-associated gene expression profiles, and reduced levels of markers of DNA oxidative damage, (Ahn, Hwang, Yun, Kim, & Park, 2015). Glycosaminoglycans derived from G. bimaculatus were reported to elicit some anti-inflammatory effects in a rat model of chronic arthritis (Ahn, Han, Hwang, Yun, & Lee, 2014).…”

Gryllus bimaculatus Extract Protects against Lipopolysaccharide-Derived Inflammatory Response in Human Colon Epithelial Caco-2 Cells

“…In this study, we tested an extract of the two-point cricket ( Gryllus bimaculatus ) as an eco-friendly new material with the advantage of producing high protein at a lower cost than livestock [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Various pharmaceutical effects of G. bimaculatus extract have been reported, including antihypertensive, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, and anti-aging effects [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. However, research on the pharmacological activity of aqueous ethanolic G. bimaculatus extract (AE-GBE) is still limited and further studies are needed in relation to intestinal dysfunction.…”