Abstract
Larvae of the rhinoceros beetle (Allomyrina dichotoma) (ADL) are used ethnopharmacologically to treat gut-related disorders in Korea and China since 1596 and are also approved as a safe novel food with high nutritional value. We investigated the protective effects of ADL extract against leaky gut disease using a Drosophila model and sought to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms. We examined the protective effects of ADL extract (2 mg/mL) against the leaky gut disease using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced leaky gut Drosophila melanogaster model. We found that oral administration of ADL extracts significantly increase the survival rate of DSS-fed Drosophila. Under conditions of DSS-induced gut damage, ADL extract reduced gut cell apoptosis and gut permeability, resulting in the maintenance of gut tissue homeostasis. Furthermore, we observed that oral administration of ADL extract can induce high levels of E-cadherin gene expression and also restored the original membrane localization of DSS-disrupted E-cadherin contiguous with the armadillo. We concluded that ADL extract plays an important role in maintaining gut homeostasis through the up-regulation of E-cadherin and that it may have a protective effect against leaky gut syndrome.
