Utility of cockroach as a model organism in the assessment of toxicological impacts of environmental pollutants

Is the gut microbiome of insects a potential source to meet UN sustainable development goals to eliminate plastic pollution?

“…Furthermore, it would be interesting to undertake future studies on investigating the role of the gut microbiota of the cockroach, their contribution to the elimination of plastics and the underlying molecular mechanisms, as well as to evaluate how plastic pollutants are managed by these resilient species, alongside the development of a prototype for a household system. The use of cockroaches has been suggested to comprehend the toxicological mechanisms or detection of environmental contamination to provide solutions for both humans and animals (Adedara et al, 2022). However, possible negative effects on the cockroach will need to be determined; as previous studies indicate that when earthworms digested microplastics, changes in the composition of their gut microbiome were seen as well as in springtails (Rodriguez‐Seijo et al, 2017; Zhu et al, 2018).…”

Metoprolol elicits neurobehavioral insufficiency and oxidative damage in nontarget Nauphoeta cinerea nymphs

“…The cockroach is of a great ecological relevance because they aid nutrient recycling for plant growth, are good nutritional source for insectivores while the ground‐dwelling, wingless cockroaches improve soil quality and aeration by deep burrowing 21 . Similar to humans, cockroaches are regularly exposed to several micropollutants in environment where they are mostly positioned as target or nontarget species 22–24 .…”

“…Similar to humans, cockroaches are regularly exposed to several micropollutants in environment where they are mostly positioned as target or nontarget species 22–24 . The speckled cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea is an emerging optimal insect model in ecotoxicology research to characterize the potential risks of contaminants on public and environmental health 21,25 . Besides the existence of similar neurotransmission associated with GABAergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic signaling pathways with mammal, 26,27 the nutrient acquisition through food metabolism in insect's midgut and fat body is reportedly analogous to the mammalian intestine and liver, respectively 21,28 .…”

“…The cockroach is of a great ecological relevance because they aid nutrient recycling for plant growth, are good nutritional source for insectivores while the ground-dwelling, wingless cockroaches improve soil quality and aeration by deep burrowing. 21 Similar to humans, cockroaches are regularly exposed to several micropollutants in environment where they are mostly positioned as target or nontarget species. [22][23][24] The speckled cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea is an emerging optimal insect model in ecotoxicology research to characterize the potential risks of contaminants on public and environmental health.…”

“…[22][23][24] The speckled cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea is an emerging optimal insect model in ecotoxicology research to characterize the potential risks of contaminants on public and environmental health. 21,25 Besides the existence of similar neurotransmission associated with GABAergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic signaling pathways with mammal, 26,27 the nutrient acquisition through food metabolism in insect's midgut and fat body is reportedly analogous to the mammalian intestine and liver, respectively. 21,28 Besides, the fat body is also responsible for the synthesis of immune system proteins, control of molting and metamorphosis, integration of signals and hormone production.…”