Abstract
This study investigated the effect of azadirachtin A (AZA) on the ultrastructure of the endocrine glands (the prothoracic gland, the corpus allatum, and the corpus cardiacum) responsible for controlling moulting and ecdysis in Lucilia cuprina larvae. All constituent endocrine glands within the ring complex exhibited ultrastructural change after exposure of larvae to AZ A in the diet. The effects on the nucleus were the most noticeable and included: (1) crenulation of nuclear shape, (2) clumping of heterochromatin, and (3) pyknosis. The degenerative changes to the nuclei appeared to precede changes within the cytoplasm. It was concluded that the degeneration of all three endocrine glands within the ring complex would contribute to a generalised disruption of neuroendocrine function.
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Meurant, K., Sernia, C. & Rembold, H. The effects of azadirachtin A on the morphology of the ring complex of Lucilia cuprina (Wied) larvae (Diptera: Insecta). Cell Tissue Res 275, 247–254 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00319422
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00319422