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Almasri H, Tavares DA, Diogon M, Pioz M, Alamil M, Sené D, Tchamitchian S, Cousin M, Brunet JL, Belzunces LP. Physiological effects of the interaction between Nosema ceranae and sequential and overlapping exposure to glyphosate and difenoconazole in the honey bee Apis mellifera. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2021; 217:112258. [PMID: 33915451 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pathogens and pollutants, such as pesticides, are potential stressors to all living organisms, including honey bees. Herbicides and fungicides are among the most prevalent pesticides in beehive matrices, and their interaction with Nosema ceranae is not well understood. In this study, the interactions between N. ceranae, the herbicide glyphosate and the fungicide difenoconazole were studied under combined sequential and overlapping exposure to the pesticides at a concentration of 0.1 µg/L in food. In the sequential exposure experiment, newly emerged bees were exposed to the herbicide from day 3 to day 13 after emerging and to the fungicide from day 13 to day 23. In the overlapping exposure experiment, bees were exposed to the herbicide from day 3 to day 13 and to the fungicide from day 7 to day 17. Infection by Nosema in early adult life stages (a few hours post emergence) greatly affected the survival of honey bees and elicited much higher mortality than was induced by pesticides either alone or in combination. Overlapping exposure to both pesticides induced higher mortality than was caused by sequential or individual exposure. Overlapping, but not sequential, exposure to pesticides synergistically increased the adverse effect of N. ceranae on honey bee longevity. The combination of Nosema and pesticides had a strong impact on physiological markers of the nervous system, detoxification, antioxidant defenses and social immunity of honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanine Almasri
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, F-84000 Avignon, France
| | | | - Marie Diogon
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Maryline Pioz
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, F-84000 Avignon, France
| | - Maryam Alamil
- INRAE, UR Biostatistiques et Processus Spatiaux, F-84914 Avignon, France
| | - Déborah Sené
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, F-84000 Avignon, France
| | - Sylvie Tchamitchian
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, F-84000 Avignon, France
| | - Marianne Cousin
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, F-84000 Avignon, France
| | - Jean-Luc Brunet
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, F-84000 Avignon, France
| | - Luc P Belzunces
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, F-84000 Avignon, France.
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Review on Sublethal Effects of Environmental Contaminants in Honey Bees ( Apis mellifera), Knowledge Gaps and Future Perspectives. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18041863. [PMID: 33672936 PMCID: PMC7918799 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Honey bees and the pollination services they provide are fundamental for agriculture and biodiversity. Agrochemical products and other classes of contaminants, such as trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, contribute to the general decline of bees' populations. For this reason, effects, and particularly sublethal effects of contaminants need to be investigated. We conducted a review of the existing literature regarding the type of effects evaluated in Apis mellifera, collecting information about regions, methodological approaches, the type of contaminants, and honey bees' life stages. Europe and North America are the regions in which A. mellifera biological responses were mostly studied and the most investigated compounds are insecticides. A. mellifera was studied more in the laboratory than in field conditions. Through the observation of the different responses examined, we found that there were several knowledge gaps that should be addressed, particularly within enzymatic and molecular responses, such as those regarding the immune system and genotoxicity. The importance of developing an integrated approach that combines responses at different levels, from molecular to organism and population, needs to be highlighted in order to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic contamination on this pollinator species.
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3
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Almasri H, Tavares DA, Pioz M, Sené D, Tchamitchian S, Cousin M, Brunet JL, Belzunces LP. Mixtures of an insecticide, a fungicide and a herbicide induce high toxicities and systemic physiological disturbances in winter Apis mellifera honey bees. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2020; 203:111013. [PMID: 32888588 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Multiple pesticides originating from plant protection treatments and the treatment of pests infecting honey bees are frequently detected in beehive matrices. Therefore, winter honey bees, which have a long life span, could be exposed to these pesticides for longer periods than summer honey bees. In this study, winter honey bees were exposed through food to the insecticide imidacloprid, the fungicide difenoconazole and the herbicide glyphosate, alone or in binary and ternary mixtures, at environmental concentrations (0 (controls), 0.1, 1 and 10 μg/L) for 20 days. The survival of the honey bees was significantly reduced after exposure to these 3 pesticides individually and in combination. Overall, the combinations had a higher impact than the pesticides alone with a maximum mortality of 52.9% after 20 days of exposure to the insecticide-fungicide binary mixture at 1 μg/L. The analyses of the surviving bees showed that these different pesticide combinations had a systemic global impact on the physiological state of the honey bees, as revealed by the modulation of head, midgut and abdomen glutathione-S-transferase, head acetylcholinesterase, abdomen glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and midgut alkaline phosphatase, which are involved in the detoxification of xenobiotics, the nervous system, defenses against oxidative stress, metabolism and immunity, respectively. These results demonstrate the importance of studying the effects of chemical cocktails based on low realistic exposure levels and developing long-term tests to reveal possible lethal and adverse sublethal interactions in honey bees and other insect pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanine Almasri
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, 84914, Avignon, France
| | | | - Maryline Pioz
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, 84914, Avignon, France
| | - Déborah Sené
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, 84914, Avignon, France
| | - Sylvie Tchamitchian
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, 84914, Avignon, France
| | - Marianne Cousin
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, 84914, Avignon, France
| | - Jean-Luc Brunet
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, 84914, Avignon, France
| | - Luc P Belzunces
- INRAE, UR 406 A&E, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, 84914, Avignon, France.
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4
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Michels B, Zwaka H, Bartels R, Lushchak O, Franke K, Endres T, Fendt M, Song I, Bakr M, Budragchaa T, Westermann B, Mishra D, Eschbach C, Schreyer S, Lingnau A, Vahl C, Hilker M, Menzel R, Kähne T, Leßmann V, Dityatev A, Wessjohann L, Gerber B. Memory enhancement by ferulic acid ester across species. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaat6994. [PMID: 30417089 PMCID: PMC6224069 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat6994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive impairments can be devastating for quality of life, and thus, preventing or counteracting them is of great value. To this end, the present study exploits the potential of the plant Rhodiola rosea and identifies the constituent ferulic acid eicosyl ester [icosyl-(2E)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-prop-2-enoate (FAE-20)] as a memory enhancer. We show that food supplementation with dried root material from R. rosea dose-dependently improves odor-taste reward associative memory scores in larval Drosophila and prevents the age-related decline of this appetitive memory in adult flies. Task-relevant sensorimotor faculties remain unaltered. From a parallel approach, a list of candidate compounds has been derived, including R. rosea-derived FAE-20. Here, we show that both R. rosea-derived FAE-20 and synthetic FAE-20 are effective as memory enhancers in larval Drosophila. Synthetic FAE-20 also partially compensates for age-related memory decline in adult flies, as well as genetically induced early-onset loss of memory function in young flies. Furthermore, it increases excitability in mouse hippocampal CA1 neurons, leads to more stable context-shock aversive associative memory in young adult (3-month-old) mice, and increases memory scores in old (>2-year-old) mice. Given these effects, and given the utility of R. rosea-the plant from which we discovered FAE-20-as a memory enhancer, these results may hold potential for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Michels
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Zwaka
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ruth Bartels
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oleh Lushchak
- Precarpathian National University, Department of Biochemistry, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
| | - Katrin Franke
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Thomas Endres
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fendt
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Inseon Song
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - May Bakr
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tuvshinjargal Budragchaa
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bernhard Westermann
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Dushyant Mishra
- University of Würzburg, Biocenter Am Hubland, Department of Genetics and Neurobiology, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Claire Eschbach
- University of Würzburg, Biocenter Am Hubland, Department of Genetics and Neurobiology, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Annika Lingnau
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Caroline Vahl
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marike Hilker
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thilo Kähne
- Otto von Guericke University, Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Volkmar Leßmann
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Dityatev
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Wessjohann
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bertram Gerber
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto von Guericke University, Institute of Biology, Magdeburg, Germany
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Piechowicz B, Szpyrka E, Zaręba L, Podbielska M, Grodzicki P. Transfer of the Active Ingredients of Some Plant Protection Products from Raspberry Plants to Beehives. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2018; 75:45-58. [PMID: 29247388 PMCID: PMC5988780 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-017-0488-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Plant protection products (PPPs) have been found increasingly in the environment. They pose a huge threat to bees, contributing to honeybee colony losses and consequently to enormous economic losses. Therefore, this field investigation was designed to determine whether their active ingredients (AIs) were transferred from raspberry plants to beehives located in the immediate neighbourhood of the crop and to what extent they were transferred. Every week for 2 months, samples of soil, raspberry leaves, flowers and fruits, worker bees, honeybee brood, and honey were collected and analysed for the presence of propyzamide, chlorpyrifos, iprodione, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, cypermethrin, difenoconazole, azoxystrobin, and pyrimethanil residues. Five of these substances were found in the worker bee bodies. Chlorpyrifos, applied to only the soil through the irrigation system, also was detected in the brood. A small amount of boscalid was noted in the honey, but its residues did not exceed the maximum residue level. For chlorpyrifos, boscalid, and pyrimethanil, a positive correlation between the occurrence of PPPs in the crops and the beehives was found. Statistical methods confirmed that the application of PPPs on a raspberry plantation, as an example of nectar-secreting plants, was linked to the transfer of their AIs to beehives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Piechowicz
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Werynia, Poland
| | - Ewa Szpyrka
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Werynia, Poland
- Laboratory of Pesticide Residues, Institute of Plant Protection, National Research Institute, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Lech Zaręba
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Magdalena Podbielska
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Werynia, Poland
| | - Przemysław Grodzicki
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland.
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Urlacher E, Monchanin C, Rivière C, Richard FJ, Lombardi C, Michelsen-Heath S, Hageman KJ, Mercer AR. Measurements of Chlorpyrifos Levels in Forager Bees and Comparison with Levels that Disrupt Honey Bee Odor-Mediated Learning Under Laboratory Conditions. J Chem Ecol 2016; 42:127-38. [PMID: 26872472 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-016-0672-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Revised: 12/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide used around the world to protect food crops against insects and mites. Despite guidelines for chlorpyrifos usage, including precautions to protect beneficial insects, such as honeybees from spray drift, this pesticide has been detected in bees in various countries, indicating that exposure still occurs. Here, we examined chlorpyrifos levels in bees collected from 17 locations in Otago, New Zealand, and compared doses of this pesticide that cause sub-lethal effects on learning performance under laboratory conditions with amounts of chlorpyrifos detected in the bees in the field. The pesticide was detected at 17 % of the sites sampled and in 12 % of the colonies examined. Amounts detected ranged from 35 to 286 pg.bee(-1), far below the LD50 of ~100 ng.bee(-1). We detected no adverse effect of chlorpyrifos on aversive learning, but the formation and retrieval of appetitive olfactory memories was severely affected. Chlorpyrifos fed to bees in amounts several orders of magnitude lower than the LD50, and also lower than levels detected in bees, was found to slow appetitive learning and reduce the specificity of memory recall. As learning and memory play a central role in the behavioral ecology and communication of foraging bees, chlorpyrifos, even in sublethal doses, may threaten the success and survival of this important insect pollinator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Urlacher
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
| | - Coline Monchanin
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Coraline Rivière
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Freddie-Jeanne Richard
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des intéractions, UMR CNRS 7267, Team Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, University of Poitiers, 6, rue Michel Brunet, TSA 51106, F-86073, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Christie Lombardi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Union Street West, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Sue Michelsen-Heath
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Kimberly J Hageman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Union Street West, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Alison R Mercer
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
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7
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Al Naggar Y, Wiseman S, Sun J, Cutler GC, Aboul-Soud M, Naiem E, Mona M, Seif A, Giesy JP. Effects of environmentally-relevant mixtures of four common organophosphorus insecticides on the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 82:85-91. [PMID: 26403075 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
We assessed whether exposure to environmentally-relevant mixtures of four organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) exerted adverse effects on honey bees. Adult and worker bees were orally exposed for five days under laboratory conditions to mixtures of four insecticides, diazinon, malathion, profenofos and chlorpyrifos at two concentrations. Concentration in the mixtures tested were equivalent to the median and 95th centile concentrations of the OPs in honey, as reported in the literature. Effects on survival, behavior, activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and expression of genes important in detoxification of xenobiotics and immune response were examined. Survival of worker bees was not affected by exposure to median or 95th centile concentrations of the OPs. Activity of AChE was significantly greater in worker bees exposed to the 95th centile concentration mixture of OPs compared to the median concentration mixture. Expression of genes involved in detoxification of xenobiotics was not affected by treatment, but the abundance of transcripts of the antimicrobial peptide hymenoptaecin was significantly greater in worker honey bees exposed to the median concentration mixture. Results suggest that short-term exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of a mixture of OPs do not adversely affect worker honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahya Al Naggar
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, 31527 Tanta, Egypt; Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
| | - Steve Wiseman
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Jianxian Sun
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - G Christopher Cutler
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Campus, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, Canada
| | - Mourad Aboul-Soud
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12316, Egypt
| | - Elsaied Naiem
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, 31527 Tanta, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Mona
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, 31527 Tanta, Egypt
| | - Amal Seif
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, 31527 Tanta, Egypt
| | - John P Giesy
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; Department of Zoology, and Center for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Biology & Chemistry and State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
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8
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Sen T, Samanta SK. Medicinal plants, human health and biodiversity: a broad review. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2014; 147:59-110. [PMID: 25001990 DOI: 10.1007/10_2014_273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity contributes significantly towards human livelihood and development and thus plays a predominant role in the well being of the global population. According to WHO reports, around 80 % of the global population still relies on botanical drugs; today several medicines owe their origin to medicinal plants. Natural substances have long served as sources of therapeutic drugs, where drugs including digitalis (from foxglove), ergotamine (from contaminated rye), quinine (from cinchona), and salicylates (willow bark) can be cited as some classical examples.Drug discovery from natural sources involve a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, biological, and molecular techniques. Accordingly, medicinal-plant-based drug discovery still remains an important area, hitherto unexplored, where a systematic search may definitely provide important leads against various pharmacological targets.Ironically, the potential benefits of plant-based medicines have led to unscientific exploitation of the natural resources, a phenomenon that is being observed globally. This decline in biodiversity is largely the result of the rise in the global population, rapid and sometimes unplanned industrialization, indiscriminate deforestation, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and finally global climate change.Therefore, it is of utmost importance that plant biodiversity be preserved, to provide future structural diversity and lead compounds for the sustainable development of human civilization at large. This becomes even more important for developing nations, where well-planned bioprospecting coupled with nondestructive commercialization could help in the conservation of biodiversity, ultimately benefiting mankind in the long run.Based on these findings, the present review is an attempt to update our knowledge about the diverse therapeutic application of different plant products against various pharmacological targets including cancer, human brain, cardiovascular function, microbial infection, inflammation, pain, and many more.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuhinadri Sen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and School of Natural Product Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700032, India,
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9
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Palmer MJ, Moffat C, Saranzewa N, Harvey J, Wright GA, Connolly CN. Cholinergic pesticides cause mushroom body neuronal inactivation in honeybees. Nat Commun 2013; 4:1634. [PMID: 23535655 PMCID: PMC3621900 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Pesticides that target cholinergic neurotransmission are highly effective, but their use has been implicated in insect pollinator population decline. Honeybees are exposed to two widely used classes of cholinergic pesticide: neonicotinoids (nicotinic receptor agonists) and organophosphate miticides (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors). Although sublethal levels of neonicotinoids are known to disrupt honeybee learning and behaviour, the neurophysiological basis of these effects has not been shown. Here, using recordings from mushroom body Kenyon cells in acutely isolated honeybee brain, we show that the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and clothianidin, and the organophosphate miticide coumaphos oxon, cause a depolarization-block of neuronal firing and inhibit nicotinic responses. These effects are observed at concentrations that are encountered by foraging honeybees and within the hive, and are additive with combined application. Our findings demonstrate a neuronal mechanism that may account for the cognitive impairments caused by neonicotinoids, and predict that exposure to multiple pesticides that target cholinergic signalling will cause enhanced toxicity to pollinators. Exposure to pesticides can disrupt foraging and navigation behaviour in bees. Palmer et al. use electrophysiology to show that two neonicotinoids and an organophosphate miticide cause neuronal dysfunction in the honeybee brain at environmentally relevant concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary J Palmer
- Division of Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
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10
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Williamson SM, Wright GA. Exposure to multiple cholinergic pesticides impairs olfactory learning and memory in honeybees. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 216:1799-807. [PMID: 23393272 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.083931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Pesticides are important agricultural tools often used in combination to avoid resistance in target pest species, but there is growing concern that their widespread use contributes to the decline of pollinator populations. Pollinators perform sophisticated behaviours while foraging that require them to learn and remember floral traits associated with food, but we know relatively little about the way that combined exposure to multiple pesticides affects neural function and behaviour. The experiments reported here show that prolonged exposure to field-realistic concentrations of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid and the organophosphate acetylcholinesterase inhibitor coumaphos and their combination impairs olfactory learning and memory formation in the honeybee. Using a method for classical conditioning of proboscis extension, honeybees were trained in either a massed or spaced conditioning protocol to examine how these pesticides affected performance during learning and short- and long-term memory tasks. We found that bees exposed to imidacloprid, coumaphos, or a combination of these compounds, were less likely to express conditioned proboscis extension towards an odor associated with reward. Bees exposed to imidacloprid were less likely to form a long-term memory, whereas bees exposed to coumaphos were only less likely to respond during the short-term memory test after massed conditioning. Imidacloprid, coumaphos and a combination of the two compounds impaired the bees' ability to differentiate the conditioned odour from a novel odour during the memory test. Our results demonstrate that exposure to sublethal doses of combined cholinergic pesticides significantly impairs important behaviours involved in foraging, implying that pollinator population decline could be the result of a failure of neural function of bees exposed to pesticides in agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally M Williamson
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
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11
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Williamson SM, Moffat C, Gomersall MAE, Saranzewa N, Connolly CN, Wright GA. Exposure to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors alters the physiology and motor function of honeybees. Front Physiol 2013; 4:13. [PMID: 23386834 PMCID: PMC3564010 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2013.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic signaling is fundamental to neuromuscular function in most organisms. Sub-lethal doses of neurotoxic pesticides that target cholinergic signaling can alter the behavior of insects in subtle ways; their influence on non-target organisms may not be readily apparent in simple mortality studies. Beneficial arthropods such as honeybees perform sophisticated behavioral sequences during foraging that, if influenced by pesticides, could impair foraging success and reduce colony health. Here, we investigate the behavioral effects on honeybees of exposure to a selection of pesticides that target cholinergic signaling by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE). To examine how continued exposure to AChE inhibitors affected motor function, we fed adult foraging worker honeybees sub-lethal concentrations of these compounds in sucrose solution for 24 h. Using an assay for locomotion in bees, we scored walking, stopped, grooming, and upside down behavior continuously for 15 min. At a 10 nM concentration, all the AChE inhibitors caused similar effects on behavior, notably increased grooming activity and changes in the frequency of bouts of behavior such as head grooming. Coumaphos caused dose-dependent effects on locomotion as well as grooming behavior, and a 1 μM concentration of coumaphos induced symptoms of malaise such as abdomen grooming and defecation. Biochemical assays confirmed that the four compounds we assayed (coumaphos, aldicarb, chlorpyrifos, and donepezil) or their metabolites acted as AChE inhibitors in bees. Furthermore, we show that transcript expression levels of two honeybee AChE inhibitors were selectively upregulated in the brain and in gut tissues in response to AChE inhibitor exposure. The results of our study imply that the effects of pesticides that rely on this mode of action have subtle yet profound effects on physiological effects on behavior that could lead to reduced survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally M Williamson
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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Acute exposure to a sublethal dose of imidacloprid and coumaphos enhances olfactory learning and memory in the honeybee Apis mellifera. INVERTEBRATE NEUROSCIENCE 2012; 13:63-70. [PMID: 23160709 PMCID: PMC3672510 DOI: 10.1007/s10158-012-0144-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The decline of honeybees and other pollinating insects is a current cause for concern. A major factor implicated in their decline is exposure to agricultural chemicals, in particular the neonicotinoid insecticides such as imidacloprid. Honeybees are also subjected to additional chemical exposure when beekeepers treat hives with acaricides to combat the mite Varroa destructor. Here, we assess the effects of acute sublethal doses of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, and the organophosphate acaricide coumaphos, on honey bee learning and memory. Imidacloprid had little effect on performance in a six-trial olfactory conditioning assay, while coumaphos caused a modest impairment. We report a surprising lack of additive adverse effects when both compounds were administered simultaneously, which instead produced a modest improvement in learning and memory.
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Improved Cholinergic Transmission is Detrimental to Behavioural Plasticity in Honeybees (Apis mellifera). BIOLOGY 2012; 1:508-20. [PMID: 24832506 PMCID: PMC4009804 DOI: 10.3390/biology1030508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2012] [Revised: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 09/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Unravelling the role of neuromessenger processes in learning and memory has long interested researchers. We investigated the effects of an acetylcholinesterase blocker, Methyl Parathion (MeP), on honeybee learning. We used visual and olfactory tasks to test whether MeP had a detrimental effect on the acquisition of new knowledge when this new knowledge contradicts previously acquired one. Our results indicate that treatment with MeP prior to conditioning was significantly detrimental to the acquisition of incongruous (but not irrelevant or congruous) new knowledge due to improved recall. The neurobiological and ecotoxicological consequences of these results are discussed.
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Kennedy DO, Wightman EL. Herbal extracts and phytochemicals: plant secondary metabolites and the enhancement of human brain function. Adv Nutr 2011; 2:32-50. [PMID: 22211188 PMCID: PMC3042794 DOI: 10.3945/an.110.000117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 289] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans consume a wide range of foods, drugs, and dietary supplements that are derived from plants and which modify the functioning of the central nervous sytem (CNS). The psychoactive properties of these substances are attributable to the presence of plant secondary metabolites, chemicals that are not required for the immediate survival of the plant but which are synthesized to increase the fitness of the plant to survive by allowing it to interact with its environment, including pathogens and herbivorous and symbiotic insects. In many cases, the effects of these phytochemicals on the human CNS might be linked either to their ecological roles in the life of the plant or to molecular and biochemical similarities in the biology of plants and higher animals. This review assesses the current evidence for the efficacy of a range of readily available plant-based extracts and chemicals that may improve brain function and which have attracted sufficient research in this regard to reach a conclusion as to their potential effectiveness as nootropics. Many of these candidate phytochemicals/extracts can be grouped by the chemical nature of their potentially active secondary metabolite constituents into alkaloids (caffeine, nicotine), terpenes (ginkgo, ginseng, valerian, Melissa officinalis, sage), and phenolic compounds (curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, Hypericum perforatum, soy isoflavones). They are discussed in terms of how an increased understanding of the relationship between their ecological roles and CNS effects might further the field of natural, phytochemical drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- David O Kennedy
- Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre, School of Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.
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