Medical Potential of Insect Symbionts

Fanglei Fan; Zhengyan Wang; Qiong Luo; Zhiyuan Liu; Yu Xiao; Yonglin Ren

doi:10.3390/insects16050457

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Medical Potential of Insect Symbionts

Fanglei Fan, Zhengyan Wang, Qiong Luo, Zhiyuan Liu, Yu Xiao and Yonglin Ren

Insects (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.16(5), 457

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050457

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Abstract

antibiotic

antiparasitic activity

antitumor activity

insect symbiont

medical application

secondary metabolite

Insect symbionts and their metabolites are complex and diverse and are gradually becoming an important source of new medical materials. Some culturable symbionts from insects produce a variety of active compounds with medical potential. Among them, fatty acids, antibacterial peptides, polyene macrolides, alkaloids, and roseoflavin can inhibit the growth of human pathogenic bacteria and fungi; lipases, yeast killer toxins, reactive oxygen species, pyridines, polyethers, macrotetrolide nactins, and macrolides can kill human parasites; and peptides and polyketides can inhibit human tumors. However, due to difficulty in the culture of symbionts in vitro, difficulty in targeting bacteria to specific sites in the human body, the limited capability of symbionts to produce active metabolites in vitro, inconsistent clinical research results, adverse reactions on humans, and the development of antibiotic resistance, the application of insect symbionts and their metabolites in the medical field remains in its infancy. This paper summarizes the medical potential of insect symbionts and their metabolites and analyzes the status quo and existing problems with their medical application. Possible solutions to these problems are also proposed, with the aim of hastening the utilization of insect symbionts and their metabolites in the medical field.

Details

Title: Medical Potential of Insect Symbionts
Authors/Creators: Fanglei Fan - Henan University of Technology
Zhengyan Wang - Henan University of Technology
Qiong Luo - Henan University of Technology
Zhiyuan Liu - Henan University of Technology
Yu Xiao
Yonglin Ren - Murdoch University
Publication Details: Insects (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.16(5), 457
Publisher: MDPI
Number of pages: 21
Identifiers: 991005779120407891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.32 Entomology; 3.32.1983 Insect Symbiosis
Web Of Science research areas: Entomology
ESI research areas: Plant & Animal Science