中国药用甲虫──芫菁科的资源考察与利用

INVESTIGATION ON THE NATURAL RESOURCES AND UTILIZATION OF THE CHINESE MEDICINAL BEETLES-MELOIDAE

芫菁是重要的药用甲虫。为了摸清我国芜菁科的自然资源，作者自１９８９—１９９１年系统的调查了我国南、北方６个省区的芜菁科的种类与分布，明确了其中分布广数量大的优势种，从而为芫菁科的自然资源利用提供了理论依据。对优势种所含斑蟊素的测定，首先用薄层层析法鉴别其斑蟊素斑点的颜色和显著程度，然后用气相色谱法进行含量测定。结果表明测定的１９种中有８０％左右的种类其斑蟊素含量超过了。中华人民共和国药典。中写明的斑合素含量不得低于０．３５％始能人药的规定。明显地扩大了可以人药的种类。作为对照，作者选择了医药部门经常与芫菁混杂出售或使用的红斑郭公虫以及过去文献中记载含有斑蟊素的红蝉（同翅目），用气相色谱法进行斑蟊素的含量测定，结果表明二者均不含斑蟊素。

The cantharidin of Meloidae has long been used medicinally for its irritant properities, both in China and in western countries. In China its mediccinal usage may trace far back as 1-2 B. C. in 'Shen Nong Materia Medica'. In a book on Chinese herbal medicine, 'Compendium of Materia Medica' (1596), written by. the famous pharmaceutist, Li Shi-zhen of Ming Dynasty, about four hundred years ago, the author described four different kinds of meloid-beetles; by textual research we regard that they are referred to four different genera, namely:Epicuuta Redt. , Lytta Fabr. , Mylabris Fabr. and Mcloe L.. He had also given the usage and efficiency of the drugs both for external application and oral administration. In the 'Pharmacopoeia of the People's RepubL ic of China' (1985), there are listed 10 different kinds of medicinal insects and their products, of which 2 species of Meloidae are included. In China, in recent years, the clinical practice of cantharidin and its derivatives proved that they have better curative effect on primary liver cancer and also on leucocytopenia, chronic liver disease, neurodermatitis etc. In order to conserve and also effect better usage of the natural resources of Meloidae, the authors have carried out an extensive survey of Meloidae from 1989 to 1991 in the following provinces, namely Hebei (including the outskirt of Beijing), Net Mongol (Inner Mongolia) and Xinjiang in the north and Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan in the south. In three years, we ascertain that among the 35 common species of Meloidae in the afore mentioned provinces, there are 19 predominant species, namely Epicauta chincnsis Laporte, E. aptcra Kaszab, E. tibialis Waterhouse, E. gorhami Marseul, E. hirticornis Haag-Rutengerg, E. 4wangsientis Tan, E. sibirica Pallas, E. dubia Fabricius, E. ruficeps llliger, E megalocephala Gebler, Lytta caraganac Pallas, Mylabris calida (Pallas), M. speciosa (Pallas), M. cichorii (Linnaeus), M. jrolopi (Germar), M. axillaris Billberg, M. pkalerata (Pallas), M. sibirica Fischer and M. mongnlica (Dokhtouroff). In order to determine the quantitative levels of cantharidin contained in the above species, chemical analysis of the dried bodies of adults were carried out by thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography methods (Tables 1 & 3). The results show that about 80% of the species containing cantharidin exceed 0.35%. The 'Pharmacopoeia of the People's Replubic of China' stipulates that the blister beetles with no less than 0.35 %of cantharidin can be used as medicine. So the present investigation greatly increased the number of meloid species to be used as medicine. The results also show that the cantharidin levels varies among different species and also among individuals of the same species collected from different localities. To this problem further investigation is needed. As a comparison, chemical analyses were also carried out on the dry bodies of Trichodes sinae Chevrolat and Hucchys sanguinea (De Geer), the results show that both contain no cantharidin.