Cockroaches: a potential source of novel bioactive molecule(s) for the benefit of human health

Abstract

Cockroaches are one of the hardiest insects that have survived on this planet for millions of years. They thrive in unhygienic environments, are able to survive without food for up to 30 days, without air for around 45 min and being submerged under water for 30 min. Cockroaches are omnivorous and feed on a variety of foods, including cellulose and plastic, to name a few. It is intriguing that cockroaches are able to endure and flourish under conditions that are harmful to Homo sapiens . Given the importance of the gut microbiome on its’ host physiology, we postulate that the cockroach gut microbiome and/or its metabolites, may be contributing to their “hardiness”, which should be utilized for the discovery of biologically active molecules for the benefit of human health. Herein, we discuss the biology, diet/habitat of cockroaches, composition of gut microbiome, cellular senescence, and resistance to infectious diseases and cancer. Furthermore, current knowledge of the genome and epigenome of these remarkable species is considered. Being one of the most successful and diverse insects, as well as their extensive use in traditional and Chinese medicine, the lysates/extracts and gut microbial metabolites of cockroaches may offer a worthy resource for novel bioactive molecule(s) of therapeutic potential for the benefit of human health and may be potentially used as probiotics.

Survival of Salmonella Typhimurium in the hemolymph of the German cockroach vector is limited by both humoral immune factors and hemocytes but not by trehalose metabolism

“…Nevertheless, our new insight into the antibacterial mechanisms of cockroach hemolymph highlights the strong ability of these prevalent pests/vectors to respond to frequent infectious challenges in septic habitats. This knowledge could have eventual applications for the development of novel antimicrobials (Siddiqui et al 2022) and biological pest management tools (Pan and Zhang 2020).…”

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum from Unexplored Tunisian Ecological Niches: Antimicrobial Potential, Probiotic and Food Applications

“…Probiotics have been traditionally isolated from dairy products, though, in recent years, there has been an increasing trend in exploring novel and alternative sources [61]. Unconventional niches that are being investigated to discover new probiotics include traditional fermented foods and beverages, vegetables, fruit juices [62,63], and the intestine of insects [64,65]. According to scientific research, fermented vegetables are interesting sources of potentially probiotic LAB strains [7,66,67].…”

Comparative evaluation of some commercial spray-applied insecticides as control method against Blatta orientalis

“…They are one of the common pests in anthropogenic biotopes (residential and public buildings, restaurants, food industry enterprises, livestock farms, etc. (Siddiqui et al, 2023). Their presence in these sites is associated with a high risk for the health of animals and humans due to their proven significant role as transmitters of many infectious pathogens, including those with zoonotic potential (Odinets et al, 1993;Donets, 2004;Vatev et al, 2006;Piper and Antonelli, 2012;Esty and Phipatanakul, 2018;Nasirian, 2019;Schapheer et al, 2018;Sookrung et al, 2018;Davari et al, 2023).…”