Discovery of a New Species of Telenomus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) Parasitic on Eggs of Bombyx mandarina and Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) in Japan and Taiwan.

We reared a Telenomus species from eggs of Bombyx mandarina (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and Bombyx mori (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) in Japan, and from eggs of B. mandarina in Taiwan. Morphological examination revealed that this Telenomus species is new to science. In this article, we describe it as Telenomus moricolus Matsuo et Hirose, sp. nov. Because B. mandarina is considered to be an ancestor of B. mori, a domestic insect, it is reasonable to assume that B. mandarina is an original host of T. moricolus. This is the second discovery of an egg parasitoid attacking wild and domesticated silkworms, following the first discovery of T. theophilae, a Chinese species. The significance of the discovery of T. moricolus is discussed in relation to examining the effects of host-insect domestication on egg parasitism.

Cilostazol inhibits modified low-density lipoprotein uptake and foam cell formation in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Internalization of modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL) via macrophage scavenger receptors (e.g. scavenger receptor A and CD36) is thought to play a crucial role in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Cilostazol, an antiplatelet agent with selective phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitory action, has been reported to ameliorate atherosclerosis in mouse models. However, the effect of cilostazol on modified LDL uptake in macrophages is not known. Thus, we investigated the effect of cilostazol on LDL uptake in mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPM). Cilostazol significantly inhibited oxidized and acetylated LDL uptake in MPM, while cyclic AMP (cAMP)-elevating agents, db-cAMP and other phosphodiesterase 3 or 4 inhibitors, did not inhibit the uptake. Cilostazol did not change cytosolic cAMP levels in MPM, and a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor did not influence the inhibitory effects of cilostazol. Cilostazol decreased scavenger receptor A but not CD36 expression. Moreover, cilostazol significantly inhibited foam cell formation, which was represented by an increase in esterified cholesterol content. In conclusion, cilostazol significantly inhibits the uptake of modified LDL and foam cell formation in mouse peritoneal macrophages, and the inhibitory effect of cilostazol can be induced in a cAMP- and PKA-independent manner.

Anti-atherosclerotic effect of cilostazol in apolipoprotein-E knockout mice.

To investigate whether cilostazol (CAS 73963-72-1), a selective phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor, reduces the progression of atherogenic diet-induced atherosclerosis, cilostazol was orally administered twice a day for 4 weeks to male apolipoprotein-E knockout (ApoE KO) mice. In serial sections of the aortic root, the atherosclerotic lesion ratios in the cilostazol-treated groups (32.5 +/- 3.3% for 100 mg/kg, 29.0 +/- 2.9% for 300 mg/kg) were significantly and dose-dependently smaller than that of the control group (40.2 +/- 3.7%). Cilostazol also significantly reduced the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and monocyte/macrophage accumulation in the aortic root and increased high-density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol levels in plasma. These results suggest that cilostazol suppresses the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE KO mice by inhibiting adhesionand infiltration of monocytes and reducing cholesterol accumulation in atherosclerotic lesion.

Activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase by cilostazol via a cAMP/protein kinase A- and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent mechanism.

We investigated the effect of cilostazol on nitric oxide (NO) production in human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC). Cilostazol increased NO production in a concentration-dependent manner, and NO production was also increased by other cyclic-AMP (cAMP)-elevating agents (forskolin, cilostamide, and rolipram). Cilostazol increased intracellular cAMP level, and that effect was enhanced in the presence of forskolin. In Western blot analysis, cilostazol increased phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) at Ser(1177) and of Akt at Ser(473) and dephosphorylation of eNOS at Thr(495). Cilostazol's regulation of eNOS phosphorylation was reversed by protein kinase A inhibitor peptide (PKAI) and by LY294002, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. Moreover, the cilostazol-induced increase in NO production was inhibited by PKAI, LY294002, and N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME), a NOS inhibitor. In an in vitro model of angiogenesis, cilostazol-enhanced endothelial tube formation, an effect that was completely attenuated by inhibitors of PKA, PI3K, and NOS. These results suggest that cilostazol induces NO production by eNOS activation via a cAMP/PKA- and PI3K/Akt-dependent mechanism and that this effect is involved in capillary-like tube formation in HAEC.

The parasitoidOoencyrtus nezarae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) prefers hosts parasitized by conspecifics over unparasitized hosts.

Two laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the ovipositional preferences of the egg parasitoidOoencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) for parasitized and unparasitizedMegacopta punctatissimum Montandon (Hemiptera: Plataspidae). Females that had never oviposited or that had not oviposite for 3 days preferred recently parasitized hosts more than unparasitized hosts. The preference for recently parasitized hosts appeared to be mediated by the punctures in already parasitized hosts made by the ovipositor of the first female. Survival of the parasitoid progeny was lower in recently parasitized hosts than in unparasitized hosts. However, handling time of parasitized hosts was extremely short relative to that of unparasitized hosts, because the superparasitizing female could use the punctures made by the previous females. It is concluded that the females preferred the parasitized hosts over unparasitized hosts because the benefit of saving time and energy for drilling was more than the cost of progeny survival.