Positive effects of the tea catechin (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate on gut bacteria and fitness of Ectropis obliqua Prout (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

• Published in: Scientific reports 2019-03, Vol.9 (1), p.5021, Article 5021
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yong, Zhao, Tianyu, Deng, Jundan, Zhou, Xiaomin, Wu, Zhenzhen, Su, Qingqing, Zhang, Longwa, Long, Yanhua, Yang, Yunqiu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 38/47; 38/77; 631/326/41; 631/601/1466; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial activity; Bacteria; Bacteria - drug effects; Bacteria - growth & development; Camellia sinensis - chemistry; Camellia sinensis - parasitology; Catechin; Catechin - analogs & derivatives; Catechin - pharmacology; Digestive System - drug effects; Digestive System - microbiology; Ectropis obliqua; Epigallocatechin gallate; Fitness; Geometridae; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humanities and Social Sciences; Insects; Larva - drug effects; Larva - microbiology; Larva - physiology; Larvae; Leaves; Lepidoptera; Moths - drug effects; Moths - microbiology; Moths - physiology; multidisciplinary; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant Leaves - parasitology; Plantations; Population Density; Pupa - drug effects; Pupa - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Species richness; Tea
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41637-9

Ectropis obliqua Prout (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is the most devastating insect pest of tea plants in China and infests thousands of hectares of tea plantations in China annually. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a major phenolic compound in tea leaves and has a strong antibacterial function. Here, we show that EGCG can effectively improve the fitness of E . obliqua larvae and present the reason by which EGCG promotes larval fitness. In this study, we compared the fitness difference among Control, Antibiotic and Treatment of larvae. The fitness of larvae treated with EGCG and antibiotic was similar and better than that of control group. We also demonstrated that EGCG treatment could significantly reduce species richness and abundance of gut bacteria in E . obliqua larvae. Hence that we speculate that EGCG promotes larval fitness and is associated with ECGG antimicrobial activity. In short, our study provides evidence of the E . obliqua larvae have adapted to secondary compounds found in tea leaves, and may even benefit from these compounds. Our study also contributes to a greater understanding of the reason involved in plant–insect interactions.