Department of Bioresources Technology, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, 905 Henoko, Nago-City, Okinawa, 905-2192, Japan.
Okinawa Prefectural Enterprise Bureau, Water Quality Control Office, 1 Ishikawahigashionnazaki, Uruma-City, Okinawa, 904-1108, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 15;11(1):8222. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-87390-w.
The initial defensive secretory compounds emitted from a live millipede have not yet been clarified. This study focused on elucidating the initial secretory compounds emitted from a live millipede. Pre-concentration of the defensive secretory volatile organic compounds (VOC) from the live Polidesmida millipedes, Chamberlinius hualienensis and Oxidus gracilis, was performed using a three-stage VOC concentration technique by an on-line GC/MS system. As a result, the monoterpenes derived from the plant metabolite; i.e., α-pinene, α-thujene, β-pinene, 3-carene, β-myrcene, β-phellandrene, γ-terpinene, o,m,p-cymenes, limonene and camphene were first detected as the initial secretory substances. It was elucidated that some plant monoterpenes have a repellent effect and antifungal and antibacterial actions which are used as defensive substances. In addition, this study also confirmed that these monoterpenes induced apoptotic cell death involved in the induction of the caspase 3/7 activity. The millipede feeds on fallen or withered leaves containing the monoterpenes. Thus, the millipede accumulates the plant defensive secretions in the exocrine defense glands of the body somites, which would be used as against predators.
活体千足虫最初分泌的防御性化合物尚未阐明。本研究旨在阐明活体千足虫最初分泌的防御性挥发性有机化合物 (VOC)。使用在线 GC/MS 系统的三阶段 VOC 浓缩技术对活体 Polydesmida 千足虫，即台湾山蛩和奥氏多刺蜈蚣的防御性挥发性有机化合物进行预浓缩。结果，首次检测到源自植物代谢物的单萜类化合物，即α-蒎烯、α-侧柏烯、β-蒎烯、3-蒈烯、β-月桂烯、β-蒎烯、γ-萜品烯、对、间、邻- 甲基苯、柠檬烯和莰烯作为最初的分泌物质。阐明了一些植物单萜类化合物具有驱虫、抗真菌和抗菌作用，可用作防御物质。此外，本研究还证实这些单萜类化合物诱导细胞凋亡死亡，涉及 caspase 3/7 活性的诱导。千足虫以含有单萜类化合物的落叶或枯萎的叶子为食。因此，千足虫会在身体体节的外分泌防御腺中积累植物防御性分泌物，这些分泌物将被用作防御捕食者的手段。
