International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi 30772-00100, Kenya.
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
Molecules. 2021 Feb 7;26(4):871. doi: 10.3390/molecules26040871.
The African weaver ant, , is used as a biological control agent for the management of pests. The ant has several exocrine glands in the abdomen, including Dufour's, poison, rectal, and sternal glands, which are associated with pheromone secretions for intra-specific communication. Previous studies have analyzed the gland secretions of Dufour's and poison glands. The chemistry of the rectal and sternal glands is unknown. We re-analyzed the secretions from Dufour's and poison glands plus the rectal and sternal glands to compare their chemistries and identify additional components. We used the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique to collect gland headspace volatiles and solvent extraction for the secretions. Coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected a total of 78 components, of which 62 were being reported for the first time. These additional components included 32 hydrocarbons, 12 carboxylic acids, 5 aldehydes, 3 alcohols, 2 ketones, 4 terpenes, 3 sterols, and 1 benzenoid. The chemistry of Dufour's and poison glands showed a strong overlap and was distinct from that of the rectal and sternal glands. The different gland mixtures may contribute to the different physiological and behavioral functions in this ant species.
非洲织巢蚁 被用作生物防治剂来管理害虫。这种蚂蚁的腹部有几个外分泌腺，包括杜福尔氏腺、毒腺、直肠腺和胸腺，这些腺体与种内交流的信息素分泌有关。以前的研究分析了杜福尔氏腺和毒腺的分泌物。直肠腺和胸腺的化学性质尚不清楚。我们重新分析了杜福尔氏腺、毒腺、直肠腺和胸腺的分泌物，以比较它们的化学性质并鉴定其他成分。我们使用固相微萃取（SPME）技术收集腺体头部空间挥发物和溶剂提取分泌物。气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）分析共检测到 78 种成分，其中 62 种是首次报道。这些额外的成分包括 32 种碳氢化合物、12 种羧酸、5 种醛、3 种醇、2 种酮、4 种萜类、3 种甾醇和 1 种苯类。杜福尔氏腺和毒腺的化学性质有很强的重叠，与直肠腺和胸腺的化学性质不同。不同的腺体混合物可能有助于该蚂蚁物种发挥不同的生理和行为功能。
