Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, P. R. China.
Linyi University, Yishui, Linyi, 276400, P. R. China.
Commun Biol. 2023 Jul 29;6(1):790. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-05150-0.
Herbivores have evolved the ability to detoxify feed components through different mechanisms. The oligophagous silkworm feeds on Cudrania tricuspidata leaves (CTLs) instead of mulberry leaves for the purpose of producing special, high-quality silk. However, CTL-fed silkworms are found to have smaller bodies, slower growth and lower silk production than those fed mulberry leaves. Here, we show that the high content of prenylated isoflavones (PIFs) that occurred in CTLs is converted into glycosylated derivatives (GPIFs) in silkworm faeces through the silkworm gut microbiota, and this biotransformation is the key process in PIFs detoxification because GPIFs are found to be much less toxic, as revealed both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, adding Bacillus subtilis as a probiotic to remodel the gut microbiota could beneficially promote silkworm growth and development. Consequently, this study provides meaningful guidance for silk production by improving the adaptability of CTL-fed silkworms.
食草动物通过不同的机制进化出了解毒饲料成分的能力。单食性的家蚕以构树叶（CTLs）为食，而不是以桑叶来生产特殊的、高质量的丝。然而，研究发现，与吃桑叶的家蚕相比，吃 CTL 的家蚕体型更小、生长速度更慢、产丝量更低。在这里，我们表明，CTL 中含量较高的类异戊二烯异黄酮（PIFs）在蚕肠道微生物群的作用下转化为糖基化衍生物（GPIFs），这种生物转化是 PIFs 解毒的关键过程，因为 GPIFs 的毒性要小得多，无论是在体外还是体内实验中都得到了证实。此外，添加枯草芽孢杆菌作为益生菌来重塑肠道微生物群可以有益地促进家蚕的生长和发育。因此，这项研究通过提高 CTL 喂养家蚕的适应性，为丝绸生产提供了有意义的指导。
