Response of Tribolium castaneum to dietary mannitol, with remarks on its possible nutritive effects.

ABSTRACT: Mannitol, one of the sugar alcohols, is often used as a low-calorific carbohydrate by animals. In some insects, mannitol acts as a cryoprotectant to endure coldness, but also become a poisonous agent. Adults of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum were shown to recognize mannitol as a factor stimulating their feeding behavior, but it remains unclear whether T. castaneum can utilize mannitol as a source of nutrition, because the enzymes needed to metabolize mannitol are unknown in this species. This study shows that T. castaneum utilizes mannitol as a nutrient in a dietary assay based on a sole carbon source added to artificial gypsum diet. The amount of mannitol excreted was less than that ingested, suggesting that it is absorbed in the insect body. The hemolymph of T. castaneum contai

SUBMITTER: Kikuta S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6235386 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature