Louvain Drug Research Institute, Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Research Group, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Brussels, Belgium.
Biomedical Physics, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium.
Cell Biochem Biophys. 2020 Jun;78(2):123-126. doi: 10.1007/s12013-020-00903-8. Epub 2020 Feb 21.
Honey bees play a crucial role in the nature by pollinating wild flowers. Over the past years, there has been an increasing concern regarding the honey bee colony decline. Pesticides or environmental effects targeting the biochemistry of insect chitin and cuticle coating may be in part responsible for honey bee pathologies. We here propose the use of electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) as a tool to image the melanin-chitin complexes as part of the exoskeleton of the honey bee. EPRI at 9.65 GHz was applied on intact freeze-dried bees. The imaging data were collected on the melanin peak. High-resolution images revealed that this compound is extensively distributed in the periphery of the animal, data consistent with the localization in the cuticle of the bee. While EPR of melanin has been so far explored in the context of melanoma characterization, it may offer new opportunities in research on honey bees and other insects.
蜜蜂通过为野花授粉，在自然界中扮演着至关重要的角色。在过去的几年中，人们越来越关注蜜蜂种群的减少。针对昆虫几丁质和表皮涂层的生物化学物质的杀虫剂或环境影响可能是导致蜜蜂疾病的部分原因。我们在这里提出使用电子顺磁共振成像（EPRI）作为一种工具来成像蜜蜂外骨骼的黑色素-几丁质复合物。在 9.65GHz 下对完整的冻干蜜蜂进行 EPRI 处理。成像数据是在黑色素峰上收集的。高分辨率图像显示，这种化合物广泛分布在动物的外围，与蜜蜂表皮中的定位一致。虽然黑色素的 EPR 迄今为止一直被用于黑色素瘤的特征描述，但它可能为研究蜜蜂和其他昆虫提供新的机会。
