|
Cantharidin
Cantharidin is an odorless, colorless fatty substance of the terpenoid class, which is secreted by many species of blister beetles. It is a burn agent or a poison in large doses, but preparations containing it were historically used as aphrodisiacs ( Spanish fly). In its natural form, cantharidin is secreted by the male blister beetle and given to the female as a copulatory gift during mating. Afterwards, the female beetle covers her eggs with it as a defense against predators. Poisoning from cantharidin is a significant veterinary concern, especially in horses, but it can also be poisonous to humans if taken internally (where the source is usually experimental self-exposure). Externally, cantharidin is a potent vesicant (blistering agent), exposure to which can cause severe chemical burns. Properly dosed and applied, the same properties have also been used therapeutically, for instance for treatment of skin conditions such as molluscum contagiosum infection of the skin. Canthari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cantharidin Biosynthesis2
Cantharidin is an odorless, colorless fatty substance of the terpenoid class, which is secreted by many species of blister beetles. It is a burn agent or a poison in large doses, but preparations containing it were historically used as aphrodisiacs (Spanish fly). In its natural form, cantharidin is secreted by the male blister beetle and given to the female as a copulatory gift during mating. Afterwards, the female beetle covers her eggs with it as a defense against predators. Poisoning from cantharidin is a significant veterinary concern, especially in horses, but it can also be poisonous to humans if taken internally (where the source is usually experimental self-exposure). Externally, cantharidin is a potent vesicant (blistering agent), exposure to which can cause severe chemical burns. Properly dosed and applied, the same properties have also been used therapeutically, for instance for treatment of skin conditions such as molluscum contagiosum infection of the skin. Canthari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lytta Vesicatoria
The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparations as "Cantharides". The insect is the source of the terpenoid cantharidin, a toxic blistering agent once used as an exfoliating agent, anti-rheumatic drug and an aphrodisiac. The substance has also found culinary use in some blends of the North African spice mix '' ras el hanout''. Its various supposed benefits have been responsible for accidental poisonings. Etymology and taxonomy The generic name is from the Greek λύττα (''lytta''), meaning martial rage, raging madness, Bacchic frenzy, or rabies. The specific name is derived from Latin ''vesica'', blister. ''Lytta vesicatoria'' was formerly named ''Cantharis vesicatoria'', although the genus '' Cantharis'' is in an unrelated family, Cantharidae, the soldier beetles. It was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spanish Fly
The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparations as "Cantharides". The insect is the source of the terpenoid cantharidin, a toxic blistering agent once used as an exfoliating agent, anti-rheumatic drug and an aphrodisiac. The substance has also found culinary use in some blends of the North African spice mix '' ras el hanout''. Its various supposed benefits have been responsible for accidental poisonings. Etymology and taxonomy The generic name is from the Greek λύττα (''lytta''), meaning martial rage, raging madness, Bacchic frenzy, or rabies. The specific name is derived from Latin ''vesica'', blister. ''Lytta vesicatoria'' was formerly named ''Cantharis vesicatoria'', although the genus '' Cantharis'' is in an unrelated family, Cantharidae, the soldier beetles. It was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blister Beetle
Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators. Description Blister beetles are hypermetamorphic, going through several larval stages, the first of which is typically a mobile triungulin. The larvae are insectivorous, mainly attacking bees, though a few feed on grasshopper eggs. While sometimes considered parasitoids, in general, the meloid larva apparently consumes the immature host along with its provisions, and can often survive on the provisions alone; thus it is not an obligatory parasitoid, but rather a facultative parasitoid, or simply a kleptoparasite. The adults sometimes feed on flowers and leaves of plants of such diverse families as the Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae. Cantharidin, a poisonous chemical that causes bliste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vesicant
A blister agent (or vesicant), is a chemical compound that causes severe skin, eye and mucosal pain and irritation. They are named for their ability to cause severe chemical burns, resulting in painful water blisters on the bodies of those affected. Although the term is often used in connection with large-scale burns caused by chemical spills or chemical warfare agents, some naturally occurring substances such as are also blister-producing agents (vesicants). [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Molluscum Contagiosum
Molluscum contagiosum (MC), sometimes called water warts, is a viral infection of the skin that results in small raised pink lesions with a dimple in the center. They may become itchy or sore, and occur singularly or in groups. Any area of the skin may be affected, with abdomen, legs, arms, neck, genital area, and face being the most common. Onset of the lesions is around seven weeks after infection. They usually go away within a year without scarring. The infection is caused by a poxvirus called the '' molluscum contagiosum virus'' (MCV). The virus is spread either by direct contact, including sexual activity, or via contaminated objects such as towels. The condition can also be spread to other areas of the body by the person themselves. Risk factors include a weak immune system, atopic dermatitis, and crowded living conditions. Following one infection, it is possible to get re-infected. Diagnosis is typically based on the appearance of the lesions. Prevention includes hand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epicauta
''Epicauta'' is a genus of beetles in the blister beetle family, Meloidae. The genus was first scientifically described in 1834 by Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean. ''Epicauta'' is distributed nearly worldwide, with species native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica.Kerr, J. T. and L. Packer. (1999)The environmental basis of North American species richness patterns among ''Epicauta'' (Coleoptera: Meloidae). ''Biodiversity & Conservation'' 8(5), 617-28. Surveys have found the genus to be particularly diverse in northern Arizona in the United States. Few species occur in the Arctic, with none farther north than the southern Northwest Territory of Canada. Adult beetles feed on plants. The larvae are predators on the eggs of grasshoppers. The beetles can significantly damage plants, and many ''Epicauta'' are known as agricultural pests around the world, even known to cause crop failures at times. As do other blister beetles, these produce cantharidin, a toxic terpen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oedemeridae
The family Oedemeridae is a cosmopolitan group of beetles commonly known as false blister beetles, though some recent authors have coined the name pollen-feeding beetles. There are some 100 genera and 1,500 species in the family, mostly associated with rotting wood as larvae, though adults are quite common on flowers. The family was erected by Pierre André Latreille in 1810. Characteristics Oedemeridae may be defined as slender, soft-bodied beetles of medium size found mostly on flowers and foliage. The head lacks a narrow neck, the antennae are long and filiform, the pronotum lacks lateral edges and is much narrower than elytra, the tarsi are heteromerous with bilobed penultimate segment, the procoxal cavities are open behind and the procoxae are conical and contiguous. Natural history The larvae of most genera are xylophagous, boring tunnels in spongy, damp wood in an advanced state of decomposition; thus they have little economic importance, with the exception of one s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Organic Acid Anhydride
An organic acid anhydride is an acid anhydride that is an organic compound. An acid anhydride is a compound that has two acyl groups bonded to the same oxygen atom. A common type of organic acid anhydride is a carboxylic anhydride, where the parent acid is a carboxylic acid, the formula of the anhydride being (RC(O))2O. Symmetrical acid anhydrides of this type are named by replacing the word ''acid'' in the name of the parent carboxylic acid by the word ''anhydride''. Thus, (CH3CO)2O is called ''acetic anhydride.'' Mixed (or unsymmetrical) acid anhydrides, such as acetic formic anhydride (see below), are known, whereby reaction occurs between two different carboxylic acids. Nomenclature of unsymmetrical acid anhydrides list the names of both of the reacted carboxylic acids before the word "anhydride" (for example, the dehydration reaction between benzoic acid and propanoic acid would yield "benzoic propanoic anhydride"). One or both acyl groups of an acid anhydride may also be d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isoprene
Isoprene, or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, is a common volatile organic compound with the formula CH2=C(CH3)−CH=CH2. In its pure form it is a colorless volatile liquid. Isoprene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon. It is produced by many plants and animals (including humans) and its polymers are the main component of natural rubber. C. G. Williams named the compound in 1860 after obtaining it from thermal decomposition (pyrolysis) of natural rubber; he correctly deduced the empirical formula C5H8. Natural occurrences Isoprene is produced and emitted by many species of trees (major producers are oaks, poplars, eucalyptus, and some legumes). Yearly production of isoprene emissions by vegetation is around 600 million metric tons, half from tropical broadleaf trees and the remainder primarily from shrubs. This is about equivalent to methane emissions and accounts for around one-third of all hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere. In deciduous forests, isoprene makes up approximately 80 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feeding Studies
Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food, typically to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive — carnivores eat other animals, herbivores eat plants, omnivores consume a mixture of both plant and animal matter, and detritivores eat detritus. Fungi digest organic matter outside their bodies as opposed to animals that digest their food inside their bodies. For humans, eating is an activity of daily living. Some individuals may limit their amount of nutritional intake. This may be a result of a lifestyle choice, due to hunger or famine, as part of a diet or as religious fasting. Eating practices among humans Many homes have a large kitchen area devoted to preparation of meals and food, and may have a dining room, dining hall, or another designated area for eating. Most societies also have restaurants, food courts, and food vendors so that people may eat whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geranyl Pyrophosphate
Geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), also known as geranyl diphosphate (GDP), is the pyrophosphate ester of the terpenoid geraniol. Its salts are colorless. It is a precursor to many natural products. Occurrence GPP is an intermediate in the isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway that produces longer prenyl chains such as farnesyl pyrophosphate and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate as well as many terpenes. It can be prepared in the laboratory from geraniol. Related compounds * Geraniol * Farnesyl pyrophosphate * Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate See also * Dimethylallyltranstransferase Dimethylallyltranstransferase (DMATT), also known as farnesylpyrophosphate synthase (FPPS) or as farnesyldiphosphate synthase (FDPS), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FDPS gene and catalyzes the transformation of dimethylallylpyr ... References Further reading *Kulkarni RS, Pandit SS, Chidley HG, Nagel R, Schmidt A, Gershenzon J, Pujari KH, Giri AP and Gupta VS, 2013Characterization of thre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Lytta Vesicatoria")
