Commercial preparations of pesticides exert higher toxicity and cause changes at subcellular level in earthworm Eisenia andrei

Abstract

Background The environmental impact of pesticides has been an increasingly discussed issue over the last decades. Constant usage of pesticides presents a burden for soil and causes a decrease in its health, including the negative effects on earthworms which are indicators for soil quality. The objective of this research was the assessment of the effects of two insecticides and two herbicides on the earthworm Eisenia andrei. Namely, the following active ingredients and respective commercial preparations were investigated: esfenvalerate (Sumialfa), thiacloprid (Calypso), dimethenamid-p (Frontier) and prosulfocarb (Filon). Lethal concentrations (48 h) of both active ingredient and commercial preparations were determined using the filter paper contact test. Results The results showed that Calypso and Frontier were significantly more toxic than the active ingredient. Therefore, all further measurements were performed after exposure of earthworms to the commercial preparations of the pesticides. Specifically, several enzymatic biomarkers and multixenobiotic resistance activity were assessed. Additionally, a fluorescence-based assay for the determination of oxidative stress was established. Significant changes were detected for catalase, carboxylesterase and multixenobiotic activities after 48-h exposures. Also, a significant change in oxidative stress parameters could be observed for both Calypso and Frontier. Conclusions The obtained results show that commercial preparations can be more toxic than the active ingredients, and the formulations being distributed in the environment can affect earthworms on a molecular level already after short exposures. This emphasizes the importance of a more integrated eco-toxicological assessment of commercial pesticide preparations not to underestimate their effects on the environment.

Systematic approaches to machine learning models for predicting pesticide toxicity

“…Pesticide residue levels in high-fat livestock products can be biomagnified, resulting in greater health risks to humans and other living things [ 9 , 51 ]. These pesticides also affect non-target organisms such as rats, mice [ 52 , 53 ], honeybees [ 54 , 55 ], fish [ 24 , 56 ], earthworms [ 57 , 58 ], and other insects and worms [ 59 ]. Hence, there is growing concern about the potential risks of pesticides to consumers, and public safety has grown in recent years.…”

Toxicity and Biochemical Effects of Spirotetramat and its Binary Mixtures with Nanosilica against Aphis gossypii Glover, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius and the Earthworm, Eisenia fetida

“…Other observations byShoults-Wilson et al (2011) who found that E. fetida consistently avoid soils containing silver nanoparticles Feng et al (2015). studied the effects of thiacloprid on molecular biomarkers (GST, CarE and DNA damage) of E. fetida using the artificial OECD soil for the first time Lackmann et al (2021). reported significant changes for catalase, carboxylesterase and multixenobiotic activities in E. andrei after 48-h exposures to esfenvalerate, thiacloprid and two herbicides.…”

Chronic effects of commercial pesticide preparations on biomarkers and reproductive success in earthworm Eisenia andrei

“…Earthworm Eisenia andrei was chosen as the test organism, due to its widespread usage in ecotoxicology. An earlier study has demonstrated that the commercial formulations of these four pesticides exhibit increased toxicity relative to their active ingredients [21].…”

“…Furthermore, these formulations impact the earthworm species E. andrei at the subcellular level following a 48-h filter paper test [21]. The main goal was, thus, to investigate the long-term effects of the selected pesticides on a set of biomarkers as well as on reproduction success of E. fetida.…”