Characterization, Antioxidant Activities, and Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitory Effect of Extract From the Edible Insect Polyrhachis vicina

Abstract

Oxidative stress and obesity are critical risk factors for metabolic syndrome. The consumption of functional food ingredients can a viable strategy to alleviate oxidative stress and obesity. In this study, the hydro-ethanolic extract of the edible insect Polyrhachis vicina was prepared and its bioactive components were characterized. The total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, antioxidant and pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitory activities of the extract were determined in vitro. In total, 60 bioactive components were tentatively identified in the P. vicina extract. Polyphenols and fatty acids were further quantified using LC-MS and GC-MS, respectively. P. vicina extract possessed excellent antioxidant and PL inhibition activities. Salicylic acid, gallic acid, liquiritigenin, and naringenin, which were the major polyphenols in the P. vicina extract, interacted with PL through hydrogen bonding, hydrophilic or hydrophobic and pi-cation interactions. Thus, P. vicina extract can be used as a nutraceutical to alleviate oxidative stress-induced disease and manage obesity.

Edible Insects an Alternative Nutritional Source of Bioactive Compounds: A Review

“…When necessary (i.e., for crickets, locusts, and grasshoppers), wings, legs, and antennae are removed, while in scorpions, the stingers are eliminated [ 15 ]. Several procedures provide freeze-drying of insects followed by grinding them into powder before processing [ 22 , 99 ]. Sometimes, powdered insects are defatted with hexane washing, and the lipid-free solids are used for the extraction of water-soluble extracts [ 101 ].…”

“…The authors have investigated the content of phenolic compounds in a commercial and organic sample, and major compounds identified in both extracts correspond to 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, p -coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and syringic acid. Several bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids and flavonoids, have been detected in the extract from the edible insect P. vicina [ 22 ]. The characterization of these components was carried out by HPLC-MS/MS.…”

“…Zhang et al [ 22 ] prepared a hydroethanolic extract of P. vicina to characterize its bioactivity. In particular, the pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitory activity antioxidant activity and total flavonoid and total polyphenol contents of P. vicina extract have been tested in vitro.…”

“…Due to their recognized pharmacological properties, scientific research has focused on the beneficial properties of insects for human health. Recent studies report that edible insects can provide bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids [ 7 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], acting as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antibacterial inhibitors of the pancreatic lipase enzyme, insulin regulators, and glycaemic inhibitors [ 13 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Although beneficial effects are often due to the synergy of different components, several studies report the key role of polyphenolic content concerning specific bioactive activities.…”

“…They found that mice treated with insect tea showed higher superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione activities, and lower nitric oxide and malonaldehyde activities than control group mice. In addition to antioxidant properties, it has been reported that polyphenols from the hydroethanolic extracts of the edible insect Polyrhachis vicina may act as pancreatic lipase inhibitors [ 22 ]. Moreover, other authors [ 26 ] reported that hydroxytyrosol dimers isolated from Brynchoptera rynchopetera exhibited selective cytotoxicity and good inhibitory activity on mouse melanoma proliferation.…”