Abstract

DELOYA-BRITO, Grecia Gabriela  and  DELOYA, Cuauhtemoc. Substances produced by the beetle Ulomoides dermestoides (Chevrolat, 1878) (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): inflammatory and cytotoxic effect. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2014, vol.30, n.3, pp.655-661. ISSN 2448-8445.

Ulomoides dermestoides from China, has been used from many decades ago as traditional medicine in several places of the world to treat respiratory processes, systemic diseases, and even cancer. People who use it as a home medicine, can consume about 4900 living specimens, improving their health and reducing symptoms. Until recently there was no study about the effects produced by U. dermestoides in the body, but recent research shows that the active principies of these substances are benzoquinones, chemicals secreted by glands in the thorax and abdomen of this beetle. These substances are widely known for their effects on acute cytotoxicity, immunotoxicity and carcinogenicity.

Keywords : traditional medicine; benzoquinones; cytotoxicity; immunotoxicity and carcinogenicity.