AUTHOR=Wu Jianhui , Li Jiaying , Zhang Can , Yu Xintong , Cuthbertson Andrew G. S. , Ali Shaukat 

TITLE=Biological Impact and Enzyme Activities of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Response to Synergistic Action of Matrine and Beauveria brongniartii

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.584405

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2020.584405

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>Matrine, a naturally occurring heterocyclic compound, has been shown to enhance the pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic fungus <italic>Beauveria brongniartii</italic> against <italic>Spodoptera litura</italic>. In the current study, the biological impacts and synergism activities of these two agents on nutritional efficiency and antioxidant enzymes in <italic>S. litura</italic> were explored. Our results showed a high antifeedant activity of <italic>B. brongniartii</italic> and matrine on <italic>S. litura</italic>. The <italic>S. litura</italic> larvae were unable to pupate and emerge when treated with combinations of matrine and <italic>B. brongniartii</italic>. Following on, we measured the activities of five important antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST)] when treated with <italic>B. brongniartii</italic> SB010 (1 × 10<sup>9</sup> spores/ml), matrine (0.5 mg/ml), and <italic>B. brongniartii</italic> SB010 (1 × 10<sup>9</sup> spores/ml) + matrine (0.5 mg/ml). The results indicated the detoxification activity of the five enzymes in the fat body and hemolymph of <italic>S. litura</italic> when facing a combined <italic>B. brongniartii</italic> and matrine challenge. The activities of the enzymes were significantly lower than that of the control group 7 days post-treatment, indicating the inhibitory effect of the two xenobiotics. Matrine had better inhibition effects than <italic>B. brongniartii</italic> in a majority of the trials. The improved detoxification activity of the five enzymes may be the internal mechanism of synergism of matrine on <italic>B. brongniartii</italic>.</p>