Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Hofouf, Saudi Arabia.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Jun;26(16):16548-16555. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-04968-8. Epub 2019 Apr 13.
Despite the widespread use of the insecticide imidacloprid (IMI), a neonicotinoid, there is an urgent need for documenting information related to its acute toxicity. Therefore, this study aims to explore the markers of IMI acute toxicity in the testes of the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus). The LC of IMI was determined at 15.7 ppm for male R. ferrugineus. We assessed biochemical alterations in the testes resulting from treatment with four IMI concentrations (10, 15, 20, and 30 ppm). A reduction in glutathione content and acetylcholine esterase activity followed the IMI concentration in a dependent manner. Catalase activity was inhibited only at 20 ppm, while it increased significantly at 30 ppm. Lipid peroxidation increased steadily as the IMI concentrations increased. Based on ultrastructural analyses of spermiogenic stages, acute IMI toxicity produced swelling and degeneration of spermatid mitochondria indicating structural imbalances in their membranes. Further, abnormal chromatin condensation in nuclei and even loss of sperm were also apparent. This study provides biochemical and ultrastructural indicators for acute toxicity resulting from IMI.
尽管杀虫剂噻虫啉（IMI），一种新烟碱类杀虫剂，被广泛使用，但仍迫切需要记录与其急性毒性相关的信息。因此，本研究旨在探讨红棕榈象（Rhynchophorus ferrugineus）睾丸中 IMI 急性毒性的标志物。IMI 对雄性红棕榈象的 LC 为 15.7 ppm。我们评估了四种 IMI 浓度（10、15、20 和 30 ppm）处理后睾丸中的生化变化。谷胱甘肽含量和乙酰胆碱酯酶活性随着 IMI 浓度的增加呈依赖性降低。只有在 20 ppm 时才抑制过氧化氢酶活性，而在 30 ppm 时显著增加。脂质过氧化作用随着 IMI 浓度的增加而稳定增加。基于精子发生阶段的超微结构分析，急性 IMI 毒性导致精子线粒体肿胀和退化，表明其膜结构失衡。此外，核内异常染色质浓缩甚至精子丢失也很明显。本研究为 IMI 引起的急性毒性提供了生化和超微结构指标。
