School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, NSW, Australia.
Department of Planning and Environment, Ecosystems and Threatened Species, Biodiversity and Conservation, PO Box 2011, Dubbo, NSW, 2830, Australia.
Ecotoxicology. 2023 May;32(4):470-486. doi: 10.1007/s10646-023-02653-8. Epub 2023 Apr 26.
The relationship between sublethal pesticide exposure and oxidative stress in an ecologically relevant field setting is relatively unknown for reptiles. Oxidative stress is a multi-faceted concept that dictates key survival and fitness parameters in any organism. Fipronil and fenitrothion are two pesticides widely used globally for agricultural pest management. Using a field-based, BACI designed experiment we investigated the impact of sublethal pesticide exposure on oxidative stress biomarkers protein carbonyl and DNA damage (8-OHdG), in an arid-zone lizard species, Pogona vitticeps. A single ecologically relevant dose of pesticide was applied via oral gavage to treatment animals. Lizard condition, activity measures, and blood biomarkers were measured at relevant sampling intervals. Cholinesterase (ChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymatic biomarkers were measured in response to fenitrothion, and fipronil blood residues were measured for fipronil-treated lizards. Results suggested no significant treatment effect of either pesticide on parameters measured, however, 8-OHdG levels decreased by ≥ 45% for both pesticide treatment groups and not controls. Protein carbonyl levels showed a high degree of individual variation that proved more influential than pesticide exposure. Building our understanding of the macromolecular impacts of sublethal pesticide exposure on wild lizard populations is an integral step in addressing the current gap in literature and management practices. Our study has also highlighted the complex nature of studying oxidative stress in the field and the sheer necessity of future study.
亚致死农药暴露与生态相关领域中爬行动物氧化应激之间的关系相对未知。氧化应激是一个多方面的概念，决定了任何生物体的关键生存和适应能力参数。氟虫腈和fenitrothion 是两种在全球范围内广泛用于农业害虫管理的农药。我们使用基于现场的 BACI 设计实验，研究了亚致死农药暴露对干旱带蜥蜴物种 Pogona vitticeps 的氧化应激生物标志物蛋白质羰基和 DNA 损伤（8-OHdG）的影响。通过口服灌胃向处理动物施用单一生态相关剂量的农药。在相关采样间隔测量蜥蜴状况、活动措施和血液生物标志物。针对 fenitrothion 测量了胆碱酯酶（ChE）和乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）酶生物标志物，并且针对接受氟虫腈处理的蜥蜴测量了氟虫腈血液残留。结果表明，两种农药对所测量的参数均无显著处理效应，但是，8-OHdG 水平在两种农药处理组中均降低了≥45%，而对照组则没有。蛋白质羰基水平表现出高度的个体变异，这比农药暴露更具影响力。我们对亚致死农药暴露对野生蜥蜴种群的大分子影响的理解是解决当前文献和管理实践差距的一个重要步骤。我们的研究还强调了在现场研究氧化应激的复杂性以及未来研究的必要性。
