Short communication: Effect of combined fungicide treatments on fatty acid content in Eisenia fetida earthworms

Abstract

Aim of study: To study the toxic effects of a combined fungicide in Eisenia fetida earthworms and in its lipid fatty acid composition.
 Material and methods: We investigated the acute toxicity (LC50, 14 days) of a combined fungicide (active ingredients: carbendazim + cyproconazole) in Eisenia fetida using artificial substrate. The quantitative content of fatty acids (FAs) of body lipids was determined by the method of high-sensitivity gas chromatography.
 Main results: Moderate toxicity of the combined fungicide was determined for Eisenia fetida earthworms. Changes in behavioral response, biomass loss, and mortality of test objects were detected. A decrease in the content of saturated FAs was found. At the same time, an increase of long-chain polyunsaturated FAs content of ω6 and ω3 families, which are involved in the regulation of a wide range of physiological processes, was revealed. Modulation of the lipid FAs profile in Eisenia fetida worms is explained by the participation of the FAs in the restructuring of the organism reactivity system under fungicidal load.
 Research highlights: The reorganization of the FA profile can be considered as an early criterion of metabolic perturbations in earthworms under the action of fungicides. Understanding the toxic potential of fungicides to organisms in soil ecosystems is essential for practical risk assessment in response to pesticide application.

The Need to Conduct Environmental and Toxicological Studies in Ukraine in Accordance With the Principles of Good Laboratory Practice

“…The systematic use of pesticides in agricultural technologies leads to the fact that they become a permanent factor of negative impact on the environment 2 . Pesticides of various chemical classes have a detrimental effect on biota 3 : they inhibit cellular respiration, disrupt the transport ability of cell membranes, in particular, due to the effect on the lipid component, etc.…”

Fatty acid profile of the liver lipids under acute fungicide action and intake of a biologically active preparation in rats

“…Lipid composition plays an important role in controlling the direction and functioning of various cellular processes. Moreover, modification of lipid FAs profile can accompany and characteri ze the effect of exogenous factors on organism [6], including pesticides [7]. On the other hand, the study of the possibility of regulating the FAs profile of rat liver lipids under the influence of pesticides in combination with a biologically active preparation contributes to the correction of metabolic abnormalities, which is important in the development of a set of measures to prevent the negative impact of pesticides on public health.…”