Insecticidal and P450 mediate mechanism of fluralaner against Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

The increasing consumption of pesticides caused lots of problems, such as resistance, food safety, and various environmental toxicity. Finding an alternative pesticide which is environmentally friendly is urgent and crucial. Fluralaner, a novel isoxazoline insecticide, has been proven to possess selective toxicity for insects versus mammals and have safety to mammals and nontarget organism, suggesting its potential in pest’s management. However, little information is available about its effect on the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), a worldwide invasive and polyphagous pest, often nest in neighborhood area.The toxicity results showed that the topical application and feeding application was all effective to S.invicta. Moreover, fluralaner can be transmitted among workers by contacting and feeding which lead to toxic reaction among nestmates. By exploring the biochemistry change, we found cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) may be involved in the detoxification of fluralaner but not carboxylesterase (CarE) and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Synergism assays gave a solid evidence in which piperonyl butoxide, an activity inhibitor of P450, increased the toxicity of fluralaner to S. invicta. Importantly, with the qRT-PCR analysis 12 P450 genes of S.invicta were significantly upregulated after fluralaner treatment. Our result indicated that fluralaner could be a potential alternative pesticide in S. invicta control. And the involvement of P450s on metabolism provides basic information for the sustainable use of fluralaner.

Role of Insect Gut Microbiota in Pesticide Degradation: A Review

“…These enzymes are crucial in detoxifying xenobiotics ( Hu et al, 2014 ), where their hosts can utilize these enzymes as biological indicators during pesticide detoxification ( Khan et al, 2021 )—for instance, Zhang et al (2016) reported that detoxification enzymes (cytochrome P450 genes) were detected during detoxification of fipronil in the red imported fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta Buren), where up to 36.4-fold rise in resistance was recorded following exposure of the ants to fipronil. Another related study has also linked cytochrome P450 enzymes with fluralaner detoxification in S. invicta ( Xiong et al, 2020 ).…”

Transcriptome analysis reveals differential effects of beta-cypermethrin and fipronil insecticides on detoxification mechanisms in Solenopsis invicta

“… Zhang et al (2016a) found that fipronil-detoxifying enzymes (cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes) increased RIFA resistance by 36.4%. Another similar investigation revealed that CYP enzymes were critical for the detoxification of fluralaner ( Xiong et al, 2020 ). Moreover, these enzymes help maintain chemical balance and are essential for various physiological functions in insects.…”

Comprehensive Detoxification Mechanism Assessment of Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) against Indoxacarb

“…Zhang et al (2016) indicated that the detoxification enzymes (cytochrome P450 genes) were found in the detoxification of fipronil and showed a 36.4-fold increase in the resistance in RIFA. Another study showed that the cytochrome P450 enzymes played a vital role in the detoxifications of the fluralaner [ 41 ]. The job of detoxifying enzymes, on the other hand, is the protection of insects from the harmful effects of insecticides on their bodies.…”