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Dear Colleagues,

Insects are important and dominant creatures in the nature because of their diversity, ecological role and influence on natural resources. Insects and their derived products have been used by human beings since ancient times. Certainly the role of insects in human evolutionary history and wellness is indisputable. Insects and their derivatives serve a broad range of applications and these "raw products" have advanced at a dramatic pace into many fields, including pharmaceutical applications; tissue engineering; dentistry; plant science and agriculture; veterinary science; cosmetics and cosmeceutical; food and nutraceuticals, among others.

The Special Issue “Insects and Their Derived Products - An Innovative Source of Bioactives and Nutraceuticals” mainly focuses on cellular and molecular events induced by insects products and their derivatives, including basic studies in biochemistry, molecular biology, and molecular medicine.

Contributions for this Special Issue, both in form of review articles and original research, exploring aspects of the biological activity of insect products and their possible applications, not only composition, chemistry, analysis, but also the impact on the human health, are welcome.

Insects as food: processing, properties and applications.
Novel insect bioactive chemical molecules.
In silico, in vitro and in vivo research using
Toxins and drugs from
Nutraceuticals and bioactives compounds from bee products, including honey, propolis, bee pollen, bee bread, bee brood, royal jelly and venom.
Biological activities of insects and insect derived products.
Biotechnology and Biomedical uses of silk and its derivatives.
Processing, properties and applications of chitin from insects and its derivatives.
Live insects and human therapy

Dr. Xesús Feás
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Insects
Bioactives
Nutraceuticals
Biomedical
Biotechnology
Drugs
Insect-based food
Insect-derived bioactive peptides
Entomotherapy
ethnoentomology
Molecular Insect Biology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 6476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Ecdysterone on the Hepatic Transcriptome and Lipid Metabolism in Lean and Obese Zucker Rats

by Magdalena J. M. Marschall, Robert Ringseis, Denise K. Gessner, Sarah M. Grundmann, Erika Most, Gaiping Wen, Garima Maheshwari, Holger Zorn and Klaus Eder

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(10), 5241; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22105241 - 15 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3258

Abstract

Conflicting reports exist with regard to the effect of ecdysterone, the predominating representative of steroid hormones in insects and plants, on hepatic and plasma lipid concentrations in different rodent models of obesity, fatty liver, and diabetes, indicating that the effect is dependent on the rodent model used. Here, the hypothesis was tested for the first time that ecdysterone causes lipid-lowering effects in genetically obese Zucker rats. To test this hypothesis, two groups of male obese Zucker rats (n = 8) were fed a nutrient-adequate diet supplemented without or with 0.5 g ecdysterone per kg diet. To study further if ecdysterone is capable of alleviating the strong lipid-synthetic activity in the liver of obese Zucker rats, the study included also two groups of male lean Zucker rats (n = 8) which also received either the ecdysterone-supplemented or the non-supplemented diet. While hepatic and plasma concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol were markedly higher in the obese compared to the lean rats (p < 0.05), hepatic and plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations did not differ between rats of the same genotype fed the diets without or with ecdysterone. In conclusion, the present study clearly shows that ecdysterone supplementation does not exhibit lipid-lowering actions in the liver and plasma of lean and obese Zucker rats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects and Their Derived Products—an Innovative Source of Bioactives and Nutraceuticals)

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Review

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29 pages, 4037 KiB

Open AccessReview

Road to The Red Carpet of Edible Crickets through Integration into the Human Food Chain with Biofunctions and Sustainability: A Review

by Varongsiri Kemsawasd, Woorawee Inthachat, Uthaiwan Suttisansanee and Piya Temviriyanukul

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1801; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23031801 - 04 Feb 2022

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5730

Abstract

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that more than 500 million people, especially in Asia and Africa, are suffering from malnutrition. Recently, livestock farming has increased to supply high-quality protein, with consequent impact on the global environment. Alternative food sources with high nutritive values that can substitute livestock demands are urgently required. Recently, edible crickets have been promoted by the FAO to ameliorate the food crisis. In this review, the distribution, nutritive values, health-promoting properties (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity), safety, allergenicity as well as the potential hazards and risks for human consumption are summarized. Cricket farming may help to realize the United Nations sustainable development goal No. 2 Zero Hunger. The sustainability of cricket farming is also discussed in comparison with other livestock. The findings imply that edible crickets are safe for daily intake as a healthy alternative diet due to their high protein content and health-promoting properties. Appropriate use of edible crickets in the food and nutraceutical industries represents a global business potential. However, people who are allergic to shellfish should pay attention on cricket allergy. Thus, the objective of this review was to present in-depth and up-to-date information on edible crickets to advocate and enhance public perception of cricket-based food. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects and Their Derived Products—an Innovative Source of Bioactives and Nutraceuticals)

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