Prostaglandins E and F_2α in the house cricket and other insects

Prostaglandin E (PGE₁ and PGE₂) and prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α) are widely distributed in insects belonging to seven species representing six orders. Whole body concentrations range from 0.2 to 16 pg/mg protein. PGE and PGF_2α are found in muscle but are not abundant in testicular tissue. In the house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L.), high prostaglandin levels in the testes and the female spermatheca are reduced in the presence of the prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors aspirin, acetaminophen and indomethacin. An interaction of the prostaglandins with cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP in cricket tissues was not observed using these inhibitors. The house cricket appears to be a model for studying prostaglandin function in insects.