Mediadores químicos de interações intraespecíficas e atividade biológica da peçonha da espécie Polybia sericea (Vespidae: Polistinae)

Abstract

In the of social insects the cohesion is maintained by chemical mediators of interactions among their members, especially by those present in their cuticle, known as cuticular hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons primarily provide a protective barrier against dehydration, besides acting as signs exchanged during interactions among nestmates. Moreover, social wasps also produce other types of chemical compounds that help in the maintenance of their colonies acting in the prey capture and defense, among which is the venom. The venom produced and injected by the stinging apparatus has compounds that can be biologically active. Thus, the objective of this work was to investigate the chemical mediators of intraspecific interactions, besides the biological activity of the social wasp venom Polybia sericea. Our results of cuticular hydrocarbons and nest material allow us to confirm the hypotheses tested that the cuticular chemical profile of the colonies and the nest material can be used as complementary tools to evaluate population differences, besides the cuticular chemical composition varies from according to the relative age, physiological status and between different parts of the female body, being able to act as mediators in the colonial interactions. In addition, we confirm the idea that linear alkanes can act together with branched alkanes and other compounds as much to promote waterproofing and protection as to serve as signals during intracolonial interactions. In relation to the venom, the results show that the venom presents toxicity to Artemia salina in all the concentrations tested, with absence and presence of protease inhibitor, however, in the presence of the inhibitor the toxicity was relatively larger. In the Ames test only the concentration of 150 μg plate-1 in the absence of a protease inhibitor significantly increased the number of the revertant colonies and showed mutagenicity for the TA98 lineage. In relation to cell viability the venom of Polybia sericea did not present cytotoxicity to MRC-5 lineage, but was cytotoxic to the CHO line and B16F10-Nex2 tumoral lineage. Finally, we emphasize that in all treatments the absence of protease inhibitor may lead to the degradation of substances that increase the cytotoxicity of the venom.