Spermidine Enhances the Silk Production by Mulberry Silkworm

Polyamines are ubiquitous low molecular weight polycationic aliphatic amines involved in diverse cellular processes. Spermidine (Spd), a polyamine, has been proved to be crucial for cell survival in various organisms. Our study reports the effect of Spd on the growth of Bombyx mori. Silkworms showed improved silk gland weight and economic parameters in the fifth instar larval stage when treated with different concentrations of Spd, in the range of 25-75 mu M. The worms treated with Spd produced 31% more silk when compared with the control worms. Altogether, this study establishes that Spd-treated leaves can be fed into the larvae for better silk production.