Figure 1.

Changes in the plasma protein concentration (PPC). (A) The 24 h interval PPCs from the wandering to the adult stage in the control (CK) group. (B) The 12 or 24 h interval PPCs in the animal model (AM) of hyperproteinemia and the CK groups. The spinneret of mature B. mori larvae in the AM group was covered with low-melting-point paraffin wax at the wandering stage. Then, the larvae were maintained at 25°C with a 12 h light/12 h dark photoperiod without feeding or treatment, like the larvae in the CK group, and the PPC was monitored throughout development. Each hemolymph sample for surveying PPC consisted of an equal volume of hemolymph from three individual silkworms and was measured three times. W, the wandering stage; S, the spinning stage; PP, the pre-pupal stage; P, the pupal stage; A, the adult stage; OS, orifice of the spinneret. ^* and ^** indicate significant differences between the two groups at P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively (n = 3).