1M.V.Sc. Scholar, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Kamdhenu University, Anand-388001, Gujarat (India)
2Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Kamdhenu University, Anand-388001, Gujarat (India)
3Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Kamdhenu University, Anand-388001, Gujarat (India)
4Professor & Head, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and A. H., KU, Anand-388001, Gujarat
*Corresponding author Email : dr_kasadariya@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 23 July, 2025.
Laboratory animals are used in pharmacological and toxicological experimental research studies. The use of laboratory animals frequently required to take permission from animal ethics committee for an animal welfare and cost of experiment is high, also create other bioethical issues. The choice of other alternatives to replace or reduce the use of laboratory animals become a concern in current experimental research studies. Silkworm (Bombyx mori) as an important economic insect, has numerous advantages such as low breeding cost, large progeny size, short generation time and it does not involve any bioethical issues. It has been used as a model for a long time due to the ease of growing in the laboratory, required small growing area, small body size and contribution to the economy. The importance of various stages of the silkworm viz., eggs, larvae, pupae, moths and its products and waste products as a potential medicinal source has been indicated. Silkworms have cytochrome P450s and conjugating enzymes like glutathione S-transferases, UDPglucosyltransferase and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2. The pharmacokinetic parameters, such as half-lives and volumes distribution, in silkworm were consistent with those in mammalian models. Most of the compounds metabolized by cytochrome P450 in humans and laboratory animals are also metabolized in the silkworm midgut. Antibiotics used for clinical purposes have therapeutic effects on silkworms infected with S. aureus and S. maltophilia pathogens. ED50 obtained by injection into the silkworm hemolymph are consistent with those reported for mice. Experimentally diabetic silkworm was shown to be good model for evaluation of hypoglycemic effects of type-2 antidiabetic drugs such as pioglitazone and metformin. Silkworm model is useful for screening of antiviral agents that are effective for treating humans infected with DNA viruses. Silkworms can serve as alternative animal model for evaluation of drug-induced tissue injury or organ toxicity studies. So, silkworm is a novel promising model organism used in pharmacological and toxicological research studies.
Silkworm, Drug screening, Novel model, Pharmacological, Toxicological studies
