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. 2021 Nov 9;26(22):6769.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26226769.

Assessment of the In Vivo and In Vitro Release of Chemical Compounds from Vespa velutina

M Shantal Rodríguez-Flores  1 , Soraia I Falcão  2 , Olga Escuredo  1 , Luis Queijo  3 , M Carmen Seijo  1 , Miguel Vilas-Boas  2
Affiliations

Assessment of the In Vivo and In Vitro Release of Chemical Compounds from Vespa velutina

M Shantal Rodríguez-Flores et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Vespa velutina has been rapidly expanding throughout Galicia since 2012. It is causing human health risks and well-known losses in the beekeeping sector. Control methods are scarce, unspecific, and ineffective. Semiochemicals are insect-derived chemicals that play a role in communication and they could be used an integrated pest management tool alternative to conventional pesticides. A previous determination of the organic chemical profile should be the first step in the study of these semiochemicals. HS-SPME in living individuals and the sting apparatus extraction followed by GC-MS spectrometry were combined to extract a possible profile of these compounds in 43 hornets from Galicia. The identified compounds were hydrocarbons, ketones, terpenes, and fatty acid, and fatty acid esters. Nonanal aldehyde appeared in important concentrations in living individuals. While pentadecane, 8-hexyl- and ethyl oleate were mainly extracted from the venom apparatus. Ketones 2-nonanone, 2-undecanone and 7-nonen-2-one, 4,8-dimethyl- were identified by both procedures, as was 1,7-Nonadiene, 4,8-dimethyl-. Some compounds were detected for the first time in V. velutina such as naphthalene, 1,6-dimethyl-4-(1-methylethyl). The chemical profile by caste was also characterized.

Keywords: HS-SPME/GC-MS; Vespa velutina; nonanal; pentadecane 8-hexyl-; pest; venom apparatus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chromatograms resulting from (a) HS-SPME/GC-MS and from (b) venom extraction/GC-MS analysis of hornets. Chemical compounds are marked by numbers (1) 2-nonanone; (2) nonanal; (3) decanal; (4) 7-nonen-2-one, 4,8-dimethyl-; (5) 2-undecanone; (6) 1,7-nonadiene, 4,8-dimethyl-; (7) geranyl acetone; (8) α-Farnesene; (9) tetradecane; (10) naphthalene, 1,6-dimethyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-; (11) Ethyl 9-hexadecenoate; (12) hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester; (13) pentadecane, 8-hexyl; (14) 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester; (15) 9-octadecenoic acid and (16) ethyl oleate. Scan EI + TIC: Total Ion Chromatogram in Scan ionization mode on a scale of 6.82 x 106 and 6.62 x 107 in (a) and (b) respectively.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mass spectrum of unidentified chemical compounds by in vitro extraction method. Scan EI: Scan ionization mode on a scale of 1.97 × 106, 9.59 × 105 and 1.75 × 106 respectively.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Experimental design for the in vivo analysis using HS-SPME/GC-MS method. (a) Pyramid acrylic box and (b) design of the glass container in which volatiles are collected by SPME fiber.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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