Effects of <I>Vespa</I> Amino Acid Mixture (VAAM) lsolated from Hornet Larval Saliva and Modified VAAM Nutrients on Endurance Exercise in Swimming Mice

Abstract

For endurance exercise in swimming mice, 1.8% VAAM (Vespa amino acid mixtiure) which has the same amino acid components as hornet (Vespa mandarinia) larval saliva, 1.8% casein amino acid mixture (CAAM), 10% glucose, or amino acid mixtures in which the amino acids were varied while maintaining the same molar ratio as VAAM were administered orally to mice. Mice recieving 1.8% VAAM showed significantly longer maximum swimming times than mice receiving other nutrients. Among these nutrients, mixtures of proline, glycine, and essential amino acid mixture (EAAM) from the VAAM component, showed maximum times near those with VAAM. In swimming exercise in mice earring of 0.3g tail weight, mice administered 1.8% VAAM showed lower blood lactate concentrations and higher blood glucose concentrations than mice recieving other nutrients. Mice recieving 1.8% VAAM also had lower lactate concentrations in muscle as well as blood. This suggests that VAAM suppresses lactate production and glucose catabolism during exercise. The effects of hornet larval saliva were stronger than those of VAAM. VAAM therefore showed the major effect of the saliva. The results suggest that VAAM improves physiological condition during endurance exercise. A positive correlation was observed between the blood concentrations of lactate and glucose in exercising mice administered various nutrients (r =0.779). This suggests metabolic equilibration between glucose and lactate during exercise. A positive correlation (r=0.507) was also found between the maximum swimming time and blood glucose concentration. Maximum swimming times were highest at low (Ca. 2.5 mMol) and high (Ca. 4.0 mMol) blood lactate concentrations in high blood glucose concentrations. These facts support that glucose homeostasis is important in prolonged exercise.

Synergistic Effect ofVespaAmino Acid Mixture on Lipolysis in Rat Adipocytes

“…13,14) Leucine, 15,16) alanine, aspartate, glycine, methionine, phenylalanine, and valine all stimulate the secretion of leptin in adipocytes. 16) VAAM dramatically affects lipolysis in vivo, 2,4,6,7) and its effects have also been studied in vitro.…”

“…Mice administered VAAM exhibit increased swimming duration and accelerated lipolysis and fat oxidation. 2,3) Administration of VAAM to running rats maintained a balance of homeostasis in serum amino acids and increased the serum level of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). 4) VAAM treatment has also been found to cause the release of NEFA from rat adipose tissue slices.…”

Quantifying the fraction of alanine residues in an α-helical conformation in hornet silk using solid-state NMR

“…Therefore, if the silk proteins were biosynthesized under low Ala uptake, transamination from Ala to other amino acids would likely be repressed. Actually, the larval saliva used as the labeling larvae bait in this study contains only 6% Ala. 22 Quantitative analysis of the fraction of Ala in an a-helical conformation in hornet silk In Figure 3, the expanded Ala C ¼ O, C a and C b regions of the 13 C CP-MAS spectra are shown for unlabeled and labeled cocoons with thin and thick lines, respectively. In the Ala C a peak region, the spectra of hornet cocoons labeled at two different labeling rates (two Figure 2 The 13 C CP-MAS NMR spectra of cocoons produced by hornet larvae (a) and DL-Ala-13 C 3 administered hornet larvae (b) of V. mandarinia, together with the spectra of DL-Ala-13 C 3 powder (c) and the cocoon in Figure 2B 13 C CP-MAS NMR spectra of hornet cocoons produced by larvae (solid thin lines) and DL-Ala-13 C 3 administered larvae (solid thick lines) of V. mandarinia.…”

“…The larvae were successfully bred on a diet of larval saliva, which consists mainly of amino acids 22 and is suitable as bait. It is widely known that adult hornets subsist on a diet of larval saliva, as they are unable to consume solid foods because of their constricted abdomens.…”

A Quinone Isolated from the Nest of Vespa simillima and Its Growth-Inhibitory Effect on Rat Liver Cancer Cells

“…the amino acid mixture in hornet larval saliva, 6) nest materials, honey, and larvae of social wasps have been widely utilized as traditional folk medicines 7,8) in sole and crude forms. Exploration of the biologically active molecules in these products is of interest to clarify their modes of pharmacological action at the molecular structure level.…”