Table 4.
Health effects of medicinal insects and the associated mechanisms documented.
| ICD 10 | Effects | Mechanisms | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A00-B99 | Antibacteria | Peptide deformylase | [67] |
| Membrane permeability alteration and disruption | [68] | ||
| DNA formation inhibition and damage | [68] | ||
| Biofilm damage | [69] | ||
| Antifungus | Reduced bacterial adherence to human keratinocytes | [70] | |
| Membrane disruption | [71] | ||
| Antivirus | ROS production | [72] | |
| Parasite inhibition | Potentiating innate immunity function | [73] | |
| C00-D49 | Antitumor | Inhibit cell adhesion | [72] |
| Restrain cell migration and invasion | [72] | ||
| Antiproliferation | [74] | ||
| Apoptosis | [75] | ||
| Immunomodulatory | [74] | ||
| Anti-oxidation | [76] | ||
| Reduce inflammation | [76] | ||
| E00-E89 | Antihyperglycemic and antidiabetic | Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) inhibition | [77,78] |
| α-glucosidase inhibition | [79,80] | ||
| Beta cell function improvement | [81] | ||
| Reduce blood lipid and prevent obesity | Energy metabolism balance regulation | [82] | |
| AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway activation | [82] | ||
| Cholesterol metabolism-related biochemical parameters regulation | [83] | ||
| Combating malnutrition | Protein supplement | [84] | |
| F01–F99 | Anti-anxiety | may work with the B2-receptors and B1-receptors | [85] |
| Anti-depression | antioxidant and estrogenic properties | [86] | |
| G00-G99 | Neuroprotection | Anti-oxidation | [87] |
| Cell cycle inhibition | |||
| preventing cyclin D1 up-regulation | [87] | ||
| Reduce inflammation | |||
| Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibition | [87] | ||
| Prevent apoptosis | |||
| Bax inhibition | [88] | ||
| Caspase-3 inhibition | [88,89] | ||
| Nrf2/HO-1 pathway regulation | [90,91] | ||
| BDNF/TrkB pathway regulation | [90] | ||
| Nurr1 expression | [92] | ||
| Venom immunotherapy | Specific IgE reduction and IgG4 induction | [93] | |
| I00–I99 | Against thrombosis | FXa inhibition | [94] |
| Antiplatelet aggregation | [94,95] | ||
| Plasminogen activation and fibrin (ogen) hydrolyzation | [80] | ||
| Against hypertension | Regulating vascular tone | [96] | |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition | [96,97] | ||
| J00-J99 | Anti-tussive and anti-asthma | Cytokines and neuropeptides regulation | [98] |
| TRPA1/TRPV1/TRPV5 channels regulation | [98] | ||
| GATA-3/Th2 and IL-17/RORγt pathways regulation | [99] | ||
| K00–K95 | Hepatoprotection | Reduce inflammation | [100,101] |
| Relevant signaling pathways regulation | [101] | ||
| Anti-oxidation | [100] | ||
| Gastroprotection | Reduce inflammation | [102,103] | |
| NF-kappa B signaling pathway regulation | [104,105] | ||
| Anti-oxidation | [103] | ||
| Intestinal microbiota regulation | [[106], [107], [108], [109]] | ||
| Neovascularization | [102] | ||
| Growth factor expression enhancement | [102] | ||
| L00-L99 | Reduce melanogenesis | NA | [110] |
| Photoaging protection | Reduced UVB-induced skin winkles | [111] | |
| Anti-oxidation | [111,112] | ||
| Reduce inflammation | [111] | ||
| Alleviated the epidermal barrier dysfunction | [111] | ||
| Reduce collagen breakdown | [111] | ||
| Psoriasis | Reduced immune response | [113] | |
| Attenuated epidermal proliferation | [113] | ||
| Dermatitis | Reduce inflammation | [2] | |
| Wound healing | Wound healing | Biosurgical debridement | [114] |
| Disinfection | |||
| Anti-bacteria | [[115], [116], [117]] | ||
| Wound healing | |||
| Stimulated keratinocytes | [118,119] | ||
| Pro-fibrogenic and pro-angiogeneic effects | [120,121] | ||
| Blood coagulation | [114] | ||
| Cell proliferation, tissue reconstruction | [104,115,122] | ||
| Reduce inflammatory cytokines | [115,123,124] | ||
| Glycosidases (glycoside hydrolases) | [124] |