A simple artificial diet available for research of silkworm disease models

Abstract

Silkworm, artificial diet, mulberry, research This study was performed with the aim of making a very simple recipe of silkworm diet for research purposes, especially screening of drug candidates. We prepared a diet containing mulberry leaves powder and soybean flour at different ratios, fed them to fifth instar silkworm larvae, and observed their growth. We selected the diet with 1:1 ratio of mulberry powder and soybean flour, named MS-11, and used for further experiments. MS-11 diet was available for oral administration of drugs in silkworm hyperglycemic model and infection model. The availability of a simple artificial diet for experiments that require feeding silkworms will enhance the use of silkworms for biological, biotechnological, and pharmacological researches.

Gut Microbiota Analysis in Silkworms (Bombyx mori) Provides Insights into Identifying Key Bacterials for Inclusion in Artificial Diet Formulations

“…The nutrient composition of mulberry leaves, particularly the balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and essential micronutrients, plays a pivotal role in the growth, development, and silk production of silkworms [4,8,9]. However, the increasing demand for silk and the need for cost-effective and efficient production methods have led to the widespread adoption of artificial diets in commercial sericulture [6,[10][11][12]. These formulated feeds, often based on a combination of soybean meal, corn powder, and various nutritional supplements, aim to provide a balanced and easily digestible nutrient profile for optimal silkworm growth [11,12].…”

“…However, the increasing demand for silk and the need for cost-effective and efficient production methods have led to the widespread adoption of artificial diets in commercial sericulture [6,[10][11][12]. These formulated feeds, often based on a combination of soybean meal, corn powder, and various nutritional supplements, aim to provide a balanced and easily digestible nutrient profile for optimal silkworm growth [11,12]. Although artificial diets have bolstered productivity and lessened the industry's dependence on mulberry farming, they have also engendered novel challenges concerning the health of silkworms and the caliber of silk produced [13][14][15].…”

Effects of artificial diet breeding on intestinal microbial populations at the young stage of silkworm (Bombyx mori)

“…Although AD can be used to feed silkworm larvae at all instars (1st‐ to 5th‐instars), its high cost (Dai et al, 2022; Paudel et al, 2020) has led to universal recommendations for AD rearing at the 1st‐ to 3rd‐instars and ML rearing at the 4th‐ and 5th‐instar. However, AD rearing at the young stages (1st‐ to 3rd‐instars) of B. mori can lead to problems such as prolonged instars, smaller larvae body, and weak physique (Dong et al, 2018), while the mechanism has not yet been fully explained.…”

Homeostatic Regulation of the Duox-ROS Defense System: Revelations Based on the Diversity of Gut Bacteria in Silkworms (Bombyx mori)

“…As a model insect of the order Lepidoptera, the gut of the silkworm ( Bombyx mori ) is enriched with microflora and is often employed in the study of the relationship between microorganisms and hosts [ 24 ]. As an economically important insect, the silkworm can be fed an artificial diet at all instars, but there are associated problems such as small body size and a low larval survival rate in the AD-fed silkworm, and the mechanism of these changes not fully understood [ 25 , 26 ]. A recent study reported that at first–third instars-fed artificial feed, intestinal microbiota associated with instar growth exhibited a single trend and the intestinal pH was acidic, whilst the traditional mulberry-leaf-fed silkworm’s intestine is alkaline [ 27 , 28 ].…”