Stereoselective toxicity: Investigating the adverse effects of benzovindiflupyr on Xenopus laevis tadpoles.

The novel chiral fungicide benzovindiflupyr exerts adverse effects on aquatic organisms; however, its toxic mechanism and stereoselectivity remain largely unknown. The current study aimed to investigate the enantioselective ecotoxicity mechanism of benzovindiflupyr in Xenopus laevis tadpoles using a 28-day exposure experiment. Results of the acute toxicity assessment indicated that (1S,4R)- and (1R,4S)-benzovindiflupyr exhibited high toxicity, with (1S,4R)- demonstrating approximately 75 times greater toxicity than (1R,4S)-. Compared to the latter, (1S,4R)-benzovindiflupyr significantly affected the growth, movement behavior, and oxidative stress of X. laevis tadpoles. The integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics data revealed that (1S,4R)-benzovindiflupyr disrupted the glycine, serine, and threonine metabolic pathways by modulating the activities of key enzymes. This dysregulation resulted in aberrant carbohydrate utilization, antioxidant pathways, and structural protein synthesis and degradation. Molecular docking confirmed that (1S,4R)-benzovindiflupyr exhibited superior docking activity with key enzymes, potentially contributing to its stereoselective toxicity. This study offers novel molecular perspectives on the enantioselective ecotoxicity mechanism of benzovindiflupyr toward aquatic organisms and highlights potential target proteins implicated in metabolic disorders.