Ommochromes are screening and antioxidant pigments in the compound eyes of invertebrates and fulfil the functions of light filtration, light absorption, and antioxidant defense. We report here the first observation that ommochromes display antiglycation activity in vitro. Ommochromes were prepared from the eyes of insects of three different families: Strationyidae, Sphingidae, and Acrididae. All the ommochromes studied were found to inhibit the reaction forming fluorescent serum albumin modification products in the presence of high fructose concentrations (fructosylation). Ommochromes from the eyes of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) were the most effective fructosylation inhibitors. Ommochromes oxidized with hydrogen peroxide produced no inhibitory action in relation to glycation. Our results are of interest both for understanding the biological role of ommochromes in invertebrates, in particular for clarifying their influence on oxidative modification of the proteins of the retinular and pigment cells of ommatidia, and for using them to create pharmacological agents for the treatment and prevention of pathology associated with the development of metabolic syndrome.
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Translated from Sensornye Sistemy, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp, 3–10, January–March, 2021.
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Dontsov, A.E., Yakovleva, M.A. & Ostrovsky, M.A. Ommochromes of Insect Compound Eyes: Antiglycation Action. Neurosci Behav Physi 51, 837–841 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-021-01141-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-021-01141-y