Bioactive Molecules from Tenebrio molitor: An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Structural Biology, Antiviral Pharmacology, and One Health
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Abstract
Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae represents one of the most promising biological systems in contemporary biotechnology, providing rich sources of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), lipopeptides, hydrolytic enzymes, and volatile metabolites with relevant pharmacological activity. In the current context of global antimicrobial resistance and the continuous emergence of arboviruses with high pandemic potential — including Chikungunya, Zika, and SARS-CoV-2 — the investigation of insect-derived molecules constitutes a simultaneous pioneering and urgent scientific frontier. This article proposes an interdisciplinary review integrating (i) the immunological biology of T. molitor as a source of bioactive compounds; (ii) structural biology approaches — including solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) — applied to the molecular characterization of these compounds; (iii) the antiviral potential of insect AMPs and lipopeptides against viruses of global health relevance; and (iv) the One Health perspective, which positions insects as critical elements at the interface between ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. The convergence of these dimensions reveals that T. molitor is not merely an organism of dietary interest, but a multifunctional biotechnological platform with profound implications for novel drug discovery and emerging disease surveillance.
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