ABSTRACT
The cockroach fat body has a metabolic role analogous to the vertebrate liver. It is the main tissue for intermediary metabolism, storage of excess metabolites, and detoxification of xenobiotic agents. Like the liver of vertebrates, the fat body of insects is the primary source for the circulating carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins found in the hemolymph (blood) of the cockroach. The production of these metabolites in insects is controlled by endocrine regulations that are similar to the regulations found in vertebrate animals. (See also Chapter 13.)
