Processes involved in biochemical response to pesticides by lizard Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) – A field study

Moltedo, Ginevra; Catalano, Barbara; Martuccio, Giacomo; Sesta, Giulio; Romanelli, Giulia; Lauria, Anna; Berducci, Maria Teresa; Parravano, Roberta; Maggi, Chiara; Simbula, Giulia; Vignoli, Leonardo; Onorati, Fulvio; D'Antoni, Susanna

doi:10.1016/j.taap.2023.116491

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Inhabiting areas intended for agriculture, lizards can easily be exposed to this herbicide, through contaminated water and food (insects, earthworms, and vegetables). P. siculus is a good bioindicator in ecotoxicology; several studies have demonstrated that this lizard can be contaminated in its natural habitat by herbicides, pesticides, and manure, which modify its health status and give rise to measurable biological responses [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glyphosate Interference in Follicular Organization in the Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus

Rosati

Chianese

Gregorio

et al. 2023

IJMS

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Glyphosate (Gly) is a broad-spectrum herbicide widely used thanks to its high efficiency and low toxicity. However, evidence exists of its toxic effects on non-target organisms. Among these, the animals inhabiting agricultural fields are particularly threatened. Recent studies demonstrated that exposure to Gly markedly affected the morphophysiology of the liver and testis of the Italian field lizard Podarcis siculus. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the herbicide on the female reproductive system of this lizard in order to have a full picture of Gly-induced reproductive impairment. The animals were exposed to 0.05 and 0.5 μg/kg of pure Gly by gavage for 3 weeks. The results demonstrated that Gly, at both doses tested, profoundly interfered with ovarian function. It induced germ cells’ recruitment and altered follicular anatomy by anticipating apoptotic regression of the pyriform cells. It also induced thecal fibrosis and affected oocyte cytoplasm and zona pellucida organizations. At the functional levels, Gly stimulated the synthesis of estrogen receptors, suggesting a serious endocrine-disrupting effect. Overall, the follicular alterations, combined with those found at the level of the seminiferous tubules in males, suggest serious damage to the reproductive fitness of these non-target organisms, which over time could lead to a decline in survival.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glyphosate Interference in Follicular Organization in the Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus

Rosati

Chianese

Gregorio

et al. 2023

IJMS

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“…Thus, reptiles, not generally considered for toxicological studies, are becoming good unconventional animal models. Many current studies are investigating the consequences of pesticides and herbicides on terrestrial vertebrates using reptiles as model organisms [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The use of reptiles in toxicological studies, on the one hand, avoids experimentation on mammals, reducing ethical issues; on the other hand, it allows us to evaluate the effective risk that environmental contamination poses to these animals, opening up the possibility of drawing up specific protection plans for reptiles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of reptiles in toxicological studies, on the one hand, avoids experimentation on mammals, reducing ethical issues; on the other hand, it allows us to evaluate the effective risk that environmental contamination poses to these animals, opening up the possibility of drawing up specific protection plans for reptiles. The first data were collected on turtles and crocodiles [ 34 , 35 ], while studies carried out on squamates, such as snakes and lizards, are becoming more common [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 36 ]. The latter are abundantly widespread in agricultural areas, and their diet is essentially based on insects [ 37 ]; consequently, they can be exposed to contaminants by ingestion and inhalation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Could Exposure to Glyphosate Pose a Risk to the Survival of Wild Animals? A Case Study on the Field Lizard Podarcis siculus

Chianese,

Cominale,

Scudiero

et al. 2023

Veterinary Sciences

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Soil contaminants (herbicides, pesticides, and heavy metals) are among the main causes of change in terrestrial ecosystems. These substances lead to a general loss of biodiversity, both of flora and fauna and being able to biomagnify and pass through the food chain, they can endanger the survival of terrestrial vertebrates at the top of this chain. This review analyzes the risks associated with exposure to glyphosate, the active principle of many herbicide products, for the reproductive health of the field lizard (Podarcis siculus) potentially exposed to the substance in its natural habitat; therefore, introducing it as a possible model organism. Data demonstrate that glyphosate is toxic for this animal, affecting the health of the reproductive organs, both in males and females, and of the liver, the main detoxifying organ and closely involved in the female reproductive process. Sharing structural and functional characteristics of these organs with many other vertebrates, the information obtained with this reptile represents a wake-up call to consider when analyzing the cost/benefit ratio of glyphosate-based substances. The data clearly demonstrate that the P. siculus lizard can be considered a good target organism to study the reproductive risk assessment and hazards of exposure to soil contaminants on wild terrestrial vertebrates.

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“…Most studies concerning biomarker analyses on Podarcis spp. involve destructive methods [5,[13][14][15][16][17], and few studies exist involving non-or minimal-invasive ones. In general, most of non-destructive or minimalinvasive methods used to measure biological alterations in organisms consist of collection of blood by vein, saliva, urines, feces, part of tissue such as fur, skin, hair [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and other lizard species [19,[22][23][24][25], adding other biomarkers usually analyzed with invasive methods on Podarcis spp. [5,[15][16][17]33,34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Tail as a Minimal-Invasive Method to Detect a Large Set of Biochemical Responses in the Italian Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque, 1810)

Moltedo,

Martuccio,

Catalano

et al. 2023

Environments

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Conventional methods to analyze biochemical processes related to contaminant toxicity usually require the sacrifice of animals to collect tissues and organs. However, for ethical reasons and especially for endangered species, non- or minimal-invasive methods should be preferred. Among vertebrates, reptiles show a general decline worldwide and therefore the use of non- or minimal-invasive methods to measure some biochemical processes in these animals are encouraged. It is well known that most lizards use a common safety behavior implying the natural loss of tail in the case of predation events. Therefore, if common analyses testing contaminant toxicity could be performed in tail tissue, this method, not implying the sacrifice of the animals, could be considered as a good minimal-invasive method. The aim of this study is to test on wild Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus the use of tail to detect a large set of biomarkers including oxidative stress (TOSCAROO, TOSCAOH, CAT, tGSH, MDA), biotransformation processes (EROD, GSTs) and neurotoxicity (AChE, BChE). All the biochemical responses, excluding EROD and MDA, resulted to be analytically detectable in tail tissues of P. siculus, although the mean values obtained with this minimal-invasive method were significantly lower than those obtained with invasive one.

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Processes involved in biochemical response to pesticides by lizard Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) – A field study

Cited by 6 publications

References 51 publications

Glyphosate Interference in Follicular Organization in the Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus

Glyphosate Interference in Follicular Organization in the Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus

Could Exposure to Glyphosate Pose a Risk to the Survival of Wild Animals? A Case Study on the Field Lizard Podarcis siculus

The Use of Tail as a Minimal-Invasive Method to Detect a Large Set of Biochemical Responses in the Italian Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque, 1810)

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