Secretion and Metabolism of Ecdysteroids by Oenocyte-Fat Body Complexes (OEFC) in Adult Males of Gryllus bimaculatus DEG (Insecta)

Extracts of whole adult males of Gryllus bimaculatus show distinct maxima of free ecdysteroids on the 8th, 12th and 14th day after imaginal moult at a breeding temperature of 25 °C. Isolated OEFC of 11 days old males secrete in vitro free as well as conjugated ecdysteroids, although the latter predominate. The bulk of free ecdysteroids seem s to consist of E and 20 E according to their retention times in two HPLC systems. Apart from the polar ones, apolar m etabolites appear during incubation. By esterase the apolar metabolites are mostly split into polar ones, partly into 20 E and E. Further treatment of the polar metabolites with helicase leads again to E and 20 E. OEFC transform [3H]E pr…