Research team of Prof. Lee Young-Seok, Department of Biofermentation and Convergence, Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) (First author (left): Dr. Roshani Nhuchhen Pradhan, 3rd year PhD student, Department of Biofermentation and Convergence; 2nd author (right): Bhanu Shrestha, B.S., Department of Biofermentation and Convergence, August 23, 2018) studied the sensing mechanism of canthridin and its toxicity mechanism, and published the article "Avoiding cantharidin through ionotropic receptors" in the Journal of Hazardous Materials (Impact Factor: 13.6, Top 4% in Environmental Science) online in January 2024 (https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1iUQf_6wyUMLvB). 

Cantharidin is a colorless, odorless, fatty substance of the terpenoid family secreted by many species of blister beetles that is used as a burning agent or poison when administered in large doses, but preparations containing it have been used historically as an aphrodisiac since medieval Europe. In nature, cantharidin is secreted by male blister beetles and passed to females during mating, after which the female beetles protect their offspring by enclosing their eggs as a defense mechanism against predator attacks.

As shown in the figure, we started by studying how different insects detect and avoid cantharidin, identified mutations in the cantharidin-sensing receptor by library screening, and demonstrated the mechanism of avoidance by recreating the receptor. In addition, we analyzed the toxicity mechanism based on the smurf phenotype when ingesting the substance, and demonstrated that it is absorbed through the insect's midgut, causing harmful effects on cells and cell membranes, causing some cells to die, as well as causing holes in the gut and affecting the intestinal tract, resulting in the death of the insect. 

The research was also featured in the Bric Korea list (https://www.ibric.org/bric/hanbitsa/treatise.do?mode=treatise-view&id=92262&authorId=44652&pager.offset=0&pagerLimit=10#!/list). 

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) Basic Research Program for Science and Engineering and the Specialized Graduate School for Advanced Talent Training in Eco-Biomaterials (Director Park Yong-cheol), and Dr. Rojani Pradhan and Dr. Banu Srestha were supported by the Overseas Excellent Research Personnel Support Program.