UNRAVELING THE POTENTIAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES DERIVED FROM BLACK SOLDIER FLY LARVAE, A REVIEW

Fatima Khizar*, Shazia Yaseen, Ayesha Sadiqa, and Aisha Muhammad Afzal

ABSTRACT

Antibiotic resistance is emerging in pathogens, which is highly alarming from a clinical perspective. In this regard, several types of natural compounds that could replace traditional antibiotics should be developed. Hermetia illucens or black soldier fly (BSF), is a saprophytic dipteran. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) feed and survive on decaying organic waste present in natural environments. As a result, they have to cope with a wide variety of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and others. As the first line of defense, they produce antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as a result. These biological molecules have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and even anticancer properties. They are made up of 22–50 amino acids. Large concentrations of AMPs can be detected in the hemolymph of BSFL. Following live or attenuated bacterial inoculation via micro-injections, AMP production in BSFL can be augmented. Additional techniques include treating BSFL with heat or acid or stabbing wounds. Dissolving the exterior lipid bilayer of pathogenic cells causes structural integrity to be disrupted and intracellular content to seep out of the cells, ultimately leading to the pathogens' death. They are unable to repair their damaged outer cellular lipid content and cytoplasmic leakage, which prevents them from developing resistance against BSFL-extracted AMPs. Therefore, AMPs generated from BSFL have the potential to replace traditional antibiotics without the risk of developing pathogenic resistance. This review elaborates on the production, classification, mechanism of action, and pharmaceutical value of AMPs derived from BSFLs.

Keywords: Black soldier fly, bioactive molecule, hemolymph, antibiotics, innate immunity.