THE INFLUENCE OF DIETARY alpha-SOLANINE ON THE WAXMOTH Galleria mellonella L

WOS: 000317860800003PubMed: 23494897Plant allelochemicals are nonnutritional chemicals that interfere with the biology of herbivores. We posed the hypothesis that ingestion of a glycoalkaloid allelochemical, -solanine, impairs biological parameters of greater wax moths Galleria mellonella. To test this idea, we reared wax moths on artificial diets with 0.015, 0.15, or 1.5 mg/100 g diet of -solanine. Addition of -solanine to the diet affected survival of seventh-instar larvae, pupae, and adults; and female fecundity and fertility. The diet containing the highest -solanine concentration led to decreased survivorship, fecundity, and fertility. The diets supplemented with -solanine led to increased malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl contents in midgut and fat body and the effect was dose-dependent. Dietary -solanine led to increased midgut glutathione S-transferase activity and to decreased fat body glutathione S-transferase activitiy. We infer from these findings that -solanine influences life history parameters and antioxidative enzyme activities in the midgut and fat body of G. mellonella