Lambda-cyhalothrin delays pubertal Leydig cell development in rats

Butorphanol inhibits androgen biosynthesis and metabolism in rat immature Leydig cells in vitro

Butorphanol is a synthetic opioid analgesic medication that is primarily used for the management of pain. Butorphanol may have an inhibitory effect on androgen biosynthesis and metabolism in rat immature Leydig cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of butorphanol on androgen secretion by rat Leydig cells isolated from the 35-day-old male rats. Rat Leydig cells were cultured with 0.5-50 μM butorphanol for 3 h in vitro. Butorphanol at 5 and 50 μM significantly inhibited androgen secretion in immature Leydig cells. At 50 μM, butorphanol also blocked the effects of luteinizing hormone (LH) and 8bromo-cAMP-stimulated androgen secretion and 22R-hydroxycholesterol- and pregnenolone-mediated androgen production. Further analysis of the results showed that butorphanol downregulated the expression of genes involved in androgen production, including Lhcgr (LH receptor), Cyp11a1 (cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme), Srd5a1 (5α-reductase 1), and Akr1c14 (3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase). Additionally, butorphanol directly inhibited HSD3B1 (3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1) and SRD5A1 activity. In conclusion, butorphanol may have side effects of inhibiting androgen biosynthesis and metabolism in Leydig cells.

Arbutin inhibits androgen biosynthesis by rat immature Leydig cells in vitro

Arbutin, a widely used skin lightening agent, has raised concerns regarding its potential side effects. In this study, we investigated the impact of arbutin on Leydig cell function using an in vitro model. We measured medium androgen levels, as well as the gene and protein expression related to Leydig cell steroidogenesis. Rat immature Leydig cells from age of 35 days were exposed to arbutin at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 50 μM for a duration of 3 hrs. Following treatment, we observed a significant inhibition of androgen secretion by Leydig cells at both the 5 and 50 μM concentrations of arbutin. Furthermore, at a concentration of 50 μM, arbutin effectively blocked the stimulatory effects of luteinizing hormone (LH) and 8Br-cAMP on androgen secretion. Subsequent analysis revealed that arbutin downregulated the expression of crucial genes involved in androgen production, including Lhcgr, Hsd3b1, Cyp17a1, and Srd5a1. In silico computer program analysis predicted that arbutin exhibits good absorption, possesses a long elimination half-life, and may have other potential toxicity such as hepatoxicity. Taken together, our results demonstrate that arbutin negatively influences Leydig cell function and androgen production, potentially impacting male reproductive health.

Oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage in lambda-cyhalothrin toxicity: A comprehensive review of antioxidant mechanisms

Lambda-cyhalothrin, also known as cyhalothrin, is an efficient, broad-spectrum, quick-acting pyrethroid insecticide and acaricide and the most powerful pyrethroid insecticide in the world. However, there is increasing evidence that lambda-cyhalothrin is closely related to a variety of toxicity drawbacks (hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity and reproductive toxicity, among others) in non-target organisms, and oxidative stress seems to be the main mechanism of toxicity. This manuscript reviews the oxidative and mitochondrial damage induced by lambda-cyhalothrin and the signalling pathways involved in this process, indicating that oxidative stress occupies an important position in lambda-cyhalothrin toxicity. The mechanism of antioxidants to alleviate the toxicity of lambda-cyhalothrin is also discussed. In addition, the metabolites of lambda-cyhalothrin and the major metabolic enzymes involved in metabolic reactions are summarized. This review article reveals a key mechanism of lambda-cyhalothrin toxicity-oxidative damage and suggests that the use of antioxidants seems to be an effective method for preventing toxicity.

Ascorbic acid modulates testicular toxicity of Ampligo® 150 ZC insecticide in male rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of ascorbic acid (AA) against lambda cyhalothrin insecticide formulation Ampligo® (AP)-induced testicular toxicity in rabbit laboratory strain ITELV2006 (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Twenty rabbits were randomly divided into four equal groups and treated by oral gavage for 21 consecutive days: Group 1 served as a control and received 1 ml of distilled water, group 2 was supplemented with1ml of ascorbic acid (AA) dilution (200 mg/kg b.w), Group 3 was treated with a dose of AP at 20 mg/kg bw (1 µl/1 ml of distilled water/animal), whereas group 4 was co-administered AA and AP as the same dose of group 2 and 3, respectively. Hormonal, histomorphometrical, and immunohistochemical methods were performed at the end of the study to detect testes damage. The results showed that AP exposure significantly reduced body weight, absolute and relative testicular weights, and testosterone levels. AP caused changes in testes tissue, namely incomplete spermatogenic series and necrosis of the spermatogonial cells lining in the seminiferous tubules of rabbits. Co-administrating AA clearly modulated body and testes weights, hormonal parameters, and histopathological damage. Furthermore, the findings revealed a significant increase in alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level expression in the testes of the AP group. However, supplementation of the AP rabbits with AA modulated the observed result. Taken together, these data suggest that AA may protect against Ampligo-induced testicular damage.

Biodegradation Pathway and Detoxification of β-cyfluthrin by the Bacterial Consortium and Its Bacterial Community Structure

In the process of microbial degradation of pyrethroid pesticides, the synergistic effect of the microbial community is more conducive to the complete degradation of toxic compounds than a single strain. At present, the degradation pathway of pyrethroids in a single strain has been well revealed, but the synergistic metabolism at the community level has not been well explained. This study elucidated the bacterial community succession, metabolic pathway, and phytotoxicity assessment during β-cyfluthrin biodegradation by a novel bacterial consortium enriched from contaminated soil. The results showed that the half-life of β-cyfluthrin at different initial concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 mg mL^-1 were 4.16, 7.34, 12.81, and 22.73 days, respectively. Enterobacter was involved in β-cyfluthrin degradation metabolism in the initial stage, and other bacterial genera (Microbacterium, Ochrobactrum, Pseudomonas, Hyphomicrobiaceae, Achromobacter, etc.) significantly contribute to the degradation of intermediate metabolites in the later stages. Functional gene prediction and metabolite analysis showed that xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism, especially benzoate degradation and metabolism by cytochrome P450 were the major means of β-cyfluthrin degradation. Further, two degradation pathways of β-cyfluthrin were proposed, which were mainly ester hydrolysis and oxidation to degrade β-cyfluthrin through the production of carboxylesterase and oxidoreductase. In addition, the inoculated bacterial consortium could degrade β-cyfluthrin residues in water and soil and reduce its phytotoxicity in Medicago sativa. Hence, this novel bacterial consortium has important application in the remediation environments polluted by β-cyfluthrin.

Ultrasensitive immunochromatographic strip for the detection of cyhalothrin in foods

In this study, a highly specific and sensitive monoclonal antibody (mAb) against lambda-cyhalothrin (LCT) was prepared. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) in the ic-ELISA was 1.2 ng mL^-1 and the limit of detection (LOD) value was 0.2 ng mL^-1. Based on the mAb, an immunochromatographic strip (ICS) was developed to qualitatively and quantitatively detect LCT in cabbage, parsley, spinach, and green tea samples. The results from the qualitative test can be observed with the naked eye within 10 min, and from quantitative detection experiments the linear detection ranges for cabbage, parsley, spinach, and green tea samples were 2.3-122.0, 1.5-98.2, 2.1-145.5, and 6.6-129.7 ng g^-1, respectively. Furthermore, recovery experiments were carried out at three spiked concentrations of LCT (5, 20, and 80 ng g^-1), and the recoveries of the ICS in vegetable samples ranged from 81.2% to 96.7%, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 8.1%. For green tea, the recoveries of the ICS were from 80.4% to 90.7%, with a CV of less than 8.7%. The ICS assay established in this study can be used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of LCT residues in foods and agricultural products.

Green Synthesis of Flower-Shaped Copper Oxide and Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles via Capparis decidua Leaf Extract for Synergic Adsorption-Photocatalytic Degradation of Pesticides

Green manufacturing of catalysts enables sustainable advanced oxidation processes and water treatment processes for removing trace contaminants such as pesticides. An environmentally friendly biosynthesis process produced high-surface-area CuO and NiO nanocatalysts using phytochemicals in the Capparis decidua leaf extract, which served as a reductant and influenced catalyst shape. Capparis decidua is a bushy shrub, widely distributed in dry and arid regions of Africa, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia. The synthesized CuO and NiO nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo-gravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA). The produced nanoparticles were spherical and flower-like in shape and have a characteristic face-centered cubic structure of CuO and NiO. Biosynthesized catalysts were photoactive and degraded recalcitrant pesticide Lambda-cyhalothrin (L-CHT). Photocatalytic degradation of L-CHT was affected by the initial L-CHT concentration, solution pH levels between 5 and 9, and photocatalyst concentration. The L-CHT removal percentage attained by CuO photocatalyst (~99%) was higher than for NiO photocatalyst (~89%). The degradation of L-CHT follows a pseudo-first-order kinetic model, and the apparent rate constant (kapp) decreased from 0.033 min−1 for CuO to 0.0084 min−1 for NiO photocatalyst. The novel flower-shaped nanoparticles demonstrated high stability in water and recyclability for removing L-CHT pesticide contamination in water.

Pyrethroid based pesticides - chemical and biological aspects

Human and animal welfare primarily depends on the availability of food and surrounding environment. Over a century and half, the quest to identify agents that can enhance food production and protection from vector borne diseases resulted in the identification and use of a variety of pesticides, of which the pyrethroid based ones emerged as the best choice. Pesticides while improved the quality of life, on the other hand caused enormous health risks. Because of their percolation into drinking water and food chain and usage in domestic settings, humans unintentionally get exposed to the pesticides on a daily basis. The health hazards of almost all known pesticides at a variety of doses and exposure times are reported. This review provides a comprehensive summation on the historical, epidemiological, chemical and biological (physiological, biochemical and molecular) aspects of pyrethroid based insecticides. An overview of the available knowledge suggests that the synthetic pyrethroids vary in their chemical and toxic nature and pose health hazards that range from simple nausea to cancers. Despite large number of reports, studies that focused on identifying the health hazards using doses that are equivalent or relevant to human exposure are lacking. It is high time such studies are conducted to provide concrete evidence on the hazards of consuming pesticide contaminated food. Policy decisions to decrease the residual levels of pesticides in agricultural products and also to encourage organic farming is suggested.

Effect of long-term treatment with a mixture of pyrethroids on the expression of genes that govern male germ cell production in rats

Humans are exposed to pyrethroid-based pesticides through agricultural produce. In this study, male Wistar rats were orally treated for 9 to 12 months with a mixture of pyrethroids that is equivalent to one-fifth (high dose; HD) or one-twenty fifth (low dose; LD) of the amount of pyrethroids present in the cereals and rice consumed by an average Indian. In rats treated for 9 months, the spermatogenesis-associated genes Abp, Ar, Cd9, Dax1, Dazap1, Ddx3y, Gdnf, Gfra1, Grth, Inhb, Ovol1, P1, Plzf, Pygo2, Scf, Tgfb1, Tp1, Tp2, and Vim1 were downregulated in both LD and HD groups. In rats treated for 12 months Gdnf, Hsf2, Inhb, Tgfb1, Thy1, and Ybx2 expression was downregulated in both LD and HD groups. Steroidogenesis-associated genes 17-β-Hsd, Gata4, Hmgcr, Hmgcs1, Pde4b, and Tspo gene expression were reduced in both LD- and HD-treated groups treated for 9 months. In 12-month-treated rats, Creb1 expression decreased in both LD and HD groups. The epigenetic reprogramming-associated genes, Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b, Hdac10, Hp1bp3, Kat3a Kat3b, Mch2ta, Ncoa7, and Sirt1 were downregulated in both HD and LD groups of 9-months-treated rats. In rats treated for 12 months, Hdac10, Mch2ta, Ncoa7, and Sirt1 messenger RNA levels decreased in both the HD and LD groups. Thus, we demonstrate that long-term exposure to a mixture of pyrethroids caused aberrations in the transcriptome of factors involved in sperm production and development.

Synthesis, insecticidal activity, resistance, photodegradation and toxicity of pyrethroids (A review)

Pyrethroids are a class of highly effective, broad-spectrum, less toxic, biodegradable synthetic pesticides. However, despite the extremely wide application of pyrethroids, there are many problems, such as insecticide resistance, lethal/sub-lethal toxicity to mammals, aquatic organisms or other beneficial organisms. The objectives of this review were to cover the main structures, synthesis, steroisomers, mechanisms of action, anti-mosquito activities, resistance, photodegradation and toxicities of pyrethroids. That was to provide a reference for synthesizing or screening novel pyrethroids with low insecticide resistance and low toxicity to beneficial organisms, evaluating the environmental pollution of pyrethroids and its metabolites. Besides, pyrethroids are mainly used for the control of vectors such as insects, and the non-target organisms are mammals, aquatic organisms etc. While maintaining the insecticidal activity is important, its toxic effects on non-target organisms should be also considered. Pyrethroid resistance is present not only in insect mosquitoes but also in environmental microorganisms, which results in anti-pyrethroids resistance (APR) strains. Besides, photodegradation product dibenzofurans is harmful to mammals and environment. Additionally, pyrethroid metabolites may have higher hormonal interference than the parents. Particularly, delivery of pyrethroids in nanoform can reduce the discharge of more toxic substances (such as organic solvents, etc.) to the environment.

Mechanisms of action of agrochemicals acting as endocrine disrupting chemicals

Agrochemicals represent a significant class of endocrine disrupting chemicals that humans and animals around the world are exposed to constantly. Agrochemicals can act as endocrine disrupting chemicals through a variety of mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that several mechanisms of action involve the ability of agrochemicals to mimic the interaction of endogenous hormones with nuclear receptors such as estrogen receptors, androgen receptors, peroxisome proliferator activated receptors, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, and thyroid hormone receptors. Further, studies indicate that agrochemicals can exert toxicity through non-nuclear receptor-mediated mechanisms of action. Such non-genomic mechanisms of action include interference with peptide, steroid, or amino acid hormone response, synthesis and degradation as well as epigenetic changes (DNA methylation and histone modifications). This review summarizes the major mechanisms of action by which agrochemicals target the endocrine system.

Autophagy protects murine macrophages from β-cypermethrin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cytotoxicity via the reduction of oxidation stress

The immunotoxicity of synthetic pyrethroid (SPs) has garnered much attention, and our previous research demonstrated that β-CYP causes immunotoxicity and oxidative stress in macrophages. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells and murine peritoneal macrophages (PMs) were exposed to β-CYP. The results showed that β-CYP elevated intracellular ROS levels in both RAW 264.7 cells and PMs. Exposure to β-CYP also caused mitochondrial dysfunction with reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), intracellular ATP level and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content in the two cell types. In addition, exposure of RAW 264.7 cells to β-CYP for 12 h and 24 h enhanced autophagy, with elevated Beclin1, Rab7, Lamp1 and LC3-II expression levels, while 48 h of exposure attenuated autophagy. In contrast, exposure of PMs to β-CYP for 12 h promoted autophagy, whereas exposure for 24 h and 48 h impaired autophagy. Cotreatment with an antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), partially blocked the reduced MMP, intracellular ATP level and autophagy disturbance. Moreover, cotreatment with an autophagy agonist, rapamycin (RAPA), partially blocked mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in the two cell types, whereas cotreatment with an autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), augmented the abovementioned toxic effects. Furthermore, mitochondrial ROS levels in both RAW 264.7 cells and PMs were elevated by exposure to β-CYP, and molecular docking showed that β-CYP docked with mouse respiratory chain complex I by binding to the ND2, ND4, and ND5 subunits of the protein complex. Taken together, the data obtained in the present study demonstrate that oxidative stress partially mediates mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy disturbance upon exposure to β-CYP in macrophages, and autophagy plays a protective role against the toxic effects.