Binding and Detoxification of Insecticides by Potentially Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Environment—An In Vitro Study

Abstract

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) naturally inhabiting the digestive tract of honeybees are known for their ability to detoxify xenobiotics. The effect of chlorpyrifos, coumaphos, and imidacloprid on the growth of LAB strains was tested. All strains showed high resistance to these insecticides. Subsequently, the insecticide binding ability of LAB was investigated. Coumaphos and chlorpyrifos were bound to the greatest extent (up to approx. 64%), and imidacloprid to a much weaker extent (up to approx. 36%). The insecticides were detected in extra- and intracellular extracts of the bacterial cell wall. The ability of selected LAB to reduce the cyto- and genotoxicity of insecticides was tested on two normal (ovarian insect Sf-9 and rat intestinal IEC-6) cell lines and one cancer (human intestinal Caco-2) cell line. All strains exhibited various levels of reduction in the cyto- and genotoxicity of tested insecticides. It seems that coumaphos was detoxified most potently. The detoxification abilities depended on the insecticide, LAB strain, and cell line. The detoxification of insecticides in the organisms of honeybees may reduce the likelihood of the penetration of these toxins into honeybee products consumed by humans and may contribute to the improvement of the condition in apiaries and honeybee health.

Characterization and Protective Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria Intended to Be Used in Probiotic Preparation for Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)—An In Vitro Study

“…In our study, we evaluated the acid profiles of 10 LAB strains isolated from different environments ( Figure 1 ). In previous publications, these strains demonstrated the most potent antagonistic activity against honeybee pathogens (e.g., Paenibacillus spp., Melissococcus plutonius ), insecticide detoxification capacity, and adhesion ability to various surfaces [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Additionally, A. kunkeei DSM12361 isolated from the honeybee gut microbiota was used as a reference strain.…”

“…The highest concentrations of these acids were detected in CFS from P. pentosaceus 14/1, which in our previous study showed potent protective activity against chlorpyrifos, coumaphos, and imidacloprid [ 28 ]. Butyric acid and its derivatives exhibit anticancer properties, which may be related to the ability of P. pentosaceus 14/1 to reduce the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of insecticides [ 28 , 61 , 62 ]. The only strain that did not produce propionic acid was A. kunkeei DSM 12361.…”

“…This stage of the study used CFS (the pH adjusted to 7.0 ± 0.1 with 0.1 M NaOH) of P. pentosaceus 14/1. This strain was selected based on our previous studies [ 28 ]. Caco-2 cells were seeded into a 96-well plate at the amount of 10,000 cells per well and incubated for 24 h at 37 °C in 5% CO 2 .…”

“…LAB perform numerous beneficial functions in the honeybee body and are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) microorganisms [ 25 ]. Thus, this research involves testing LAB strains isolated mostly from honeybee environments which in our previous studies showed the most potent abilities such as the utilization of carbohydrates, adhesion to biotic and abiotic surfaces, auto-aggregation, hydrophobicity, detoxification of pesticides, and antagonistic activity against honeybee pathogens [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Microbial Detoxification of Residual Pesticides in Fermented Foods: Current Status and Prospects

“…On the other hand, the selection of strains with detoxification potential can occur in natural habitats. For example, LAB isolated from the gut of bees exposed to pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, coumaphos, and imidacloprid are capable of binding and neutralizing them in vitro as well [ 140 ].…”