Whole body solvent soak gives representative venom alkaloid profile from Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) workers

Authors

  • Hong-Wei Liu School of Agriculture, Yangtze University
  • Yong-Yue Lu Red Imported Fire Ant Research Centre, South China Agricultural University
  • Wen-Kai Wang School of Agriculture, Yangtze University
  • Li Chen Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Keywords:

red imported fire ant, venom apparatus, piperidine, extraction, GC-MS

Abstract

Abstract

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), produces venom that consists of alkaloids and a small amount of protein. The venom possesses a diversity of bioactivities. Several different techniques have been used for the extraction and analysis of fire ant venom. Here, we tested the quality of venom by comparing alkaloid profiles extracted by different methods such as capillary milking, venom gland dissection, solvent-soaking of ants without venom apparatus, and solvent-soaking of whole ants. The results indicated that whole body solvent-soaking extracts the same alkaloids that are found by dissection of the venom sac or those milked through the sting, suggesting that whole body solvent- soaking adequately extracts venom alkaloids from fire ant workers. Due to its simplicity and efficiency, venom extraction by solvent-soaking followed by conventional silica gel column chromatography can be used for isolating fire ant venom alkaloids for chemical analyses and bioassays.

 

Resumen

La hormiga de fuego roja importada, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), produce un veneno que consiste en alcaloides y una pequeña cantidad de proteína. El veneno posee una diversidad de bioactividad. Se han utilizado varias técnicas diferentes para la extracción y el análisis del veneno de la hormiga de fuego. Aquí probamos la calidad del veneno mediante la comparación de los perfiles de alcaloides extraídos por diferentes métodos como el ordeño capilar, la disección de la glándula de veneno, el remojo con disolvente de hormigas sin un aparato de veneno y el remojo con disolvente de hormigas enteras. Los resultados indicaron que el remojo con disolvente de todo el cuerpo extrae los mismos alcaloides que se encuentran por disección del saco de veneno o los ordeñados a través de la picadura, lo que sugiere que el remojo de solvente de todo el cuerpo extrae adecuadamente los alcaloides del veneno de los trabajadores. Debido a su simplicidad y eficacia, la extracción de veneno por inmersión en disolvente seguida por cromatografía convencional de columna de gel de sílice puede usarse para aislar alcaloides de veneno de hormigas de fuego para análisis químicos y de bioensayos.

 

View this article in BioOne

Downloads

Published

2017-10-10

Issue

Vol. 100, No. 3 (September 2017)

Section

Research Papers

License

Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.