In silico detection of Cucurbitacin-E on antioxidant enzymes of model organism Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and variation of antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in treated larvae

Abstract

Background In silico studies further provided predictive binding properties of selected ligands for inhibition of target protein. In the study, molecular binding poses of Cucurbitacin-E and antioxidant enzymes (glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) of Galleria mellonella were determined in silico. Cucurbitacins are the most important components of Ecballium elaterium. The first cucurbitacin isolated from the plant was Cucurbitacin-E. In this study, the toxic effect of E. elaterium (L.) A. Rich. (Cucurbitaceae) fruit juice on G. mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae, which is known as a good model insect, was also detected, and its effect on antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation was revealed. Results The plant fruit juice was tested on the target larvae of G. mellonella with different doses for 24 h. After the application, mortality rate, LC50, LC90 and LC99 values, the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and the activity changes of antioxidant enzymes were determined. Mortality increased with the increasing concentration of fruit juice. Also, increasing doses of essential oil caused decreasing in SOD, CAT, GST GPx, GR and AChE activities and increasing in MDA levels. As a result of in silico studies, maximum binding energy was obtained from G. mellonella CAT enzyme with Cucurbitacin E as a ligand. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate the in silico binding potential of Cucurbitacin E on G. mellonella enzymes. The results indicate that E. elaterium can be used against G. mellonella in a pest control program. Graphical Abstract

Assessment of The Effect of Thymbra capitata Ethanolic Extract on Galleria mellonella Hemolymph Antioxidant Enzymes

“…Zorlu et al (2018) found that titanium dioxide nanoparticles included in the G. mellonella diet had a dose-dependent toxic effect and increased resistance to oxidative stress at low concentrations. Increasing doses of Cucurbitacin-E essential oil caused decreasing in SOD, CAT, GST GPx, GR, and AChE activities and increasing in MDA levels (Ercan et al, 2022).…”

“…There are limited studies on the effects of medicinal plant extracts on G. mellonella immunity. Some plant extracts cause a decrease in the antioxidant enzyme activity of G. mellonella (Ercan et al, 2022), and this decrease is probably due to the effect of plant secondary metabolites. It was determined that Helichrysum arenarium increased cell-mediated immunity at low doses in G. mellonella larvae at certain doses and had no effect outside this range (Kaya et al, 2021).…”

Insights into the toxicity, biochemical activity, and molecular docking of Cymbopogon citratus essential oils and citral on Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…The polyphagous cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is widespread. It can feed on over 100 host plants and can cause yield losses of up to 50% due to the larvae's leaf-consuming activity (Russell et al 1993, EPPO 2018. As a result of its resistance and cross-resistance to chemical pesticide, S. littoralis has become difficult to control (Quesada-Moraga et al 2006, Siegwart et al 2015.…”

“…Chemical stress can lead to oxidative damage and oxidative stress ( Kodrík et al 2015 ). Therefore, insects possess enzymatic and nonenzymatic defense systems against chemical stress, which might stop the harmful effect of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) on cells ( Ercan et al 2022 ). The main antioxidant enzymes in insects that have been linked to insect defense systems are superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) ( Li et al 2017 , Awad et al 2022 , Moustafa et al 2022 ).…”

“…Induction of detoxification enzymes, such as cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases, carboxylesterases (CarE), and glutathione- S -transferase (GST), is one of the defense physiological responses that play important roles in pesticide metabolism ( Capinera 2008 , Moustafa et al 2021a ). Accordingly, it is important to study the enzyme activity against a potential insecticide to understand not only the mechanism of resistance that might develop but also the biological adaptive capacity ( Ercan et al 2022 ). Moreover, the discovery, by molecular docking, of a chemical with an inhibitory activity will lead to the development of new inhibitors.…”