Endocrine Regulation of Insect Digestion

Insect digestion is regulated mainly by peptides that affect food intake, gut motility, digestive enzyme release, and nutrient absorption. The regulatory peptides are produced by the central nervous system, the stomatogastric nervous system, and midgut endocrine cells. There are peptides with stimulatory (allatotropin, proctolin, sulfakinins, tachyinins, kinins, etc.) or inhibitory (allatostatin, myoinhibitory peptides, myosuppressins, etc.) effects. In this chapter, we will review the chemical identity, site of production, and function of those peptides that differ somewhat among different insects.