Excretion of miserotoxin and detoxification of the aglycone by grasshoppers (Orthoptera : Acrididae)

Two species of grasshoppers (Melanoplus bivittatus and M. sanguinipes) tole rated high levels of miserotoxin (3-nitro-1-propyl-beta -D-glucopyranoside) in their diet. Miserotoxin is a causative agent in cattle poisoning when t imber milkvetch (Astragalus miser) is consumed. Toxic effects were averted by grasshoppers in part by excretion of the intact glycoside. When the agly cone was administered, detoxification was achieved by two routes: by oxidat ion of the aglycone to 3-nitropropionic acid which was then conjugated with glycine, and by glucosylation of the aglycone to miserotoxin, in each case followed by excretion. Crown Copyright (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Scie nce Ltd. All rights reserved.