Foods enriched with insects can potentially prevent several health disorders, including cardiovascular diseases, by reducing inflammation and improving antioxidant status. In this study, Tenebrio molitor and Gryllus assimilis were selected to determine the effect on the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE/LDLR-/- mice. Animals were fed AIN-93G-based diets (control) with 10% Tenebrio molitor (TM) and 10% Gryllus assimilis (GA) for 8 weeks. The nutritional value as well as antioxidant activity of selected insects were determined. The lipid profile, liver enzyme activity, and the fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue of model mice were evaluated. Quantitative analysis of atherosclerotic lesions in the entire aorta was performed using the en face method, and for aortic roots, the cross-section method was used. The antioxidant status of the GA cricket was significantly higher compared to the TM larvae. The results showed that the area of atherosclerosis (en face method) was not significantly different between groups. Dietary GA reduced plaque formation in the aortic root; additionally, significant differences were observed in sections at 200 and 300 µm compared to other groups. Furthermore, liver enzyme ALT activity was lower in insect-fed groups compared to the control group. The finding suggests that a diet containing edible insect GA potentially prevents atherosclerotic plaque development in the aortic root, due to its high antioxidant activity.

• Klíčová slova
• Gryllus assimilis, Tenebrio molitor, antioxidant status, atherosclerosis, fatty acids profile, lipid profile, liver enzymes activity, mouse model,
• MeSH
• antioxidancia metabolismus   MeSH
• aorta patologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• apolipoproteiny E * nedostatek   genetika   MeSH
• aterosklerotický plát patologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• ateroskleróza * patologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• dieta MeSH
• Gryllidae MeSH
• játra metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• jedlý hmyz MeSH
• krmivo pro zvířata MeSH
• LDL-receptory * genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši knockoutované MeSH
• myši MeSH
• Tenebrio MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antioxidancia MeSH
• apolipoproteiny E * MeSH
• LDL-receptory * MeSH

Temperature has a profound effect on the growth and development of ectothermic animals. However, the extent to which ecologically driven selection pressures can adjust thermal plastic responses in growth schedules is not well understood. Comparing temperature-induced plastic responses between sexes provides a promising but underexploited approach to evaluating the evolvability of thermal reaction norms: males and females share largely the same genes and immature environments but typically experience different ecological selection pressures. We proceed from the idea that substantial sex differences in plastic responses could be interpreted as resulting from sex-specific life-history optimization, whereas similarity among the sexes should rather be seen as evidence of an essential role of physiological constraints. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of sex-specific thermal responses in insect development times, using data on 161 species with comprehensive phylogenetic and ecological coverage. As a reference for judging the magnitude of sex specificity in thermal plasticity, we compared the magnitude of sex differences in plastic responses to temperature with those in response to diet. We show that sex-specific responses of development times to temperature variation are broadly similar. We also found no strong evidence for sex specificity in thermal responses to depend on the magnitude or direction of sex differences in development time. Sex differences in temperature-induced plastic responses were systematically less pronounced than sex differences in responses induced by variations in larval diet. Our results point to the existence of substantial constraints on the evolvability of thermal reaction norms in insects as the most likely explanation. If confirmed, the low evolvability of thermal response is an essential aspect to consider in predicting evolutionary responses to climate warming.

• Klíčová slova
• Body size, development rate, evolutionary constraint, growth rate, sexual bimaturism, sexual size dimorphism, thermal sensitivity, thermal trait,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH