We have previously shown that silkworm hemolymph exhibits anti-apoptotic activity against baculovirus-induced Sf9 cell apoptosis. In this Study, using various chemical inducers, such as actinomycin D, camptothecin, and staurosporine. we found that silkworm hemolymph inhibits insect cell apoptosis induced not only by baculovirus but also by chemical inducers. This indicates that silkworm hemolymph contains anti-apoptotic components that work directly in insect cell apoptosis without any booster expression of baculoviral genes. With the analysis of Sf-caspase-1 activity, it was found that the inhibitory effect of silkworm hemolymph works in a further upstream step than the Sf-caspase-1 activation step. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.