Tracing the dissipation of difenoconazole, its metabolites and co-formulants in tomato: A comprehensive analysis by chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry in laboratory and greenhouse trials

The study evaluated Ceremonia 25 EC®, a plant protection product (PPP) containing difenoconazole, in tomato crops, to identify potential risks associated with PPPs, and in addition to this compound, known metabolites from difenoconazole degradation and co-formulants present in the PPP were monitored. An ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-Orbitrap mass analyser (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS) method was validated with a working range of 2 μg/kg (limit of quantification, LOQ) to 200 μg/kg. Difenoconazole degradation followed a biphasic double first-order in parallel (DFOP) kinetic model in laboratory and greenhouse trials, with high accuracy (R2 > 0.9965). CGA-205374, difenoconazole-alcohol, and hydroxy-difenoconazole metabolites were tentatively identified and semi-quantified in laboratory trials by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS from day 2 to day 30. No metabolites were found in greenhouse trials. Additionally, 13 volatile co-formulants were tentatively identified by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to Q-Orbitrap-MS, detectable up to the 7th day after PPP application. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of difenoconazole dissipation in tomatoes, identification of metabolites, and detection of co-formulants associated with the applied PPP.

Suspect screening of pesticide co-formulants in fruits, vegetables and leaves by liquid and gas chromatography coupled to high resolution mass accuracy spectrometry: Potential impact on human health

Vegetables can contain co-formulants derived from the use of plant protection products (PPPs) in crops. Thus, in the current study co-formulants were determined in different fruits and vegetables and their leaves by gas and liquid chromatography coupled to Q-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-Q-Orbitrap and LC-Q-Orbitrap-MS). A total of 37 co-formulants were tentatively identified, and among them, 12 compounds were quantified by LC-Q-Orbitrap-MS and 9 by GC-Q-Orbitrap-MS. The mean co-formulant levels in fruit and vegetable samples was 92% lower than in leaf samples. Selected samples showed a high concentration of 1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone among the co-formulants detected. This compound ranged from 22 µg/kg (strawberry) to 722 µg/kg (red grape), whereas in the case of leaves, its concentration was up to 6513 µg/kg in cucumber leaf. In addition, it has an LD50 equal to 1.440 g/kg. Therefore, this type of PPP co-formulants should be controlled in fruits and vegetables to avoid adverse health effects.

Effects of co-formulants on the absorption and secretion of active substances in plant protection products in vitro

Currently, the authorisation process for plant protection products (PPPs) relies on the testing of acute and topological toxicity only. Contrastingly, the evaluation of active substances includes a more comprehensive set of toxicity studies. Nevertheless, mixture effects of active ingredients and co-formulants may result in increased toxicity. Therefore, we investigated effects of surface active co-formulants on the toxicity of two PPPs focussing on qualitative and quantitative toxicokinetic effects on absorption and secretion. The respective products are based on the active substances abamectin and fluroxypyr-meptyl and were tested for cytotoxicity in the presence or absence of the corresponding surfactants and co-formulants using Caco-2 cells. In addition, the effect of co-formulants on increased cellular permeation was quantified using LC-MS/MS, while potential kinetic mixture effects were addressed by fluorescence anisotropy measurements and ATPase assays. The results show that surface active co-formulants significantly increase the cytotoxicity of the investigated PPPs, leading to more than additive mixture effects. Moreover, analytical investigations show higher efflux ratios of both active substances and the metabolite fluroxypyr upon combination with certain concentrations of the surfactants. The results further point to a significant and concentration-dependent inhibition of Pgp transporters by most of the surfactants as well as to increased membrane fluidity. Altogether, these findings strongly support the hypothesis that surfactants contribute to increased cytotoxicity of PPPs and do so by increasing the bioavailability of the respective active substances.

Cytotoxicity and hormonal activity of glyphosate-based herbicides

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the most widely used pesticides for weed control. In parallel with the renewal of the active ingredient, polyethoxylated POE(15) containing GBHs were banned in the EU in 2016. Since then, co-formulants were changed and numerous GBHs are marketed with different excipients declared as inert substances. In our study, we focused to determine acute and chronic cytotoxicity (by Aliivibrio fischeri assay) and direct hormonal activity (estrogenic and androgenic effects measured by Saccharomyces cerevisiae BLYES/BLYAS strains, respectively) of glyphosate, AMPA, polyethoxylated POE(15) and 13 GBHs from which 11 formulations do not contain polyethoxylated POE(15). Among the pure substances, neither glyphosate nor AMPA had any effects, while polyethoxylated POE(15) exhibited pronounced toxicity and was also estrogenic but not androgenic. Regarding the acute and chronic cytotoxicity and hormonal activity of GBHs, dilution percentages calculated from EC50 values were in the most cases by one or two order of magnitude lower than the minimum recommended dilution for agricultural and household use. Relation could not be observed between the biological effects and type of glyphosate-salts; hence toxicity could be linked to the co-formulants, which are not even declared in 3 GBHs. Toxicological evaluation must focus on these substances and free accessibility of GBHs should be reconsidered.

Comparative analyses of cellular physiological responses of non-target species to cypermethrin and its formulated product: Contribution to mode of action research

Physiological responses of bacterial, fish, rat and human hepatoma cells to the technical cypermethrin (AS), cypermethrin-based plant protection product (PPP), and the major co-formulant (solvent) were compared. The endpoints included: bioluminescence, total protein content, activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenase and cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes CYP1A and CYP1B, and expression of several genes encoding different CYP enzyme isoforms. Toxicity of PPP was compared with the toxicity predicted using concentration addition model. Cypermethrin disturbs the activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenase. Induction of CYP1A1-, CYP1A2- and CYP1B1-associated activity was more pronounced in PPP than in cypermethrin treatment. The predominant biotransformation pathway of cypermethrin is related to Cyp3a1 induction. Deviations between observed and predicted toxicity of PPP indicate synergistic effects of cypermethrin and a solvent. In vitro cellular assays may serve as rapid pre-screening tool and provide for a good indication of mixture effects and prompt further in vivo testing of PPPs when really needed.

Influence of commercial formulation on the sorption and leaching behaviour of propyzamide in soil

Experiments compared sorption and leaching behaviour for the herbicide propyzamide when applied to two soils either as technical material or in the commercial formulation Kerb® Flo. Sorption was investigated in batch systems as well as using a centrifugation technique to investigate changes in pesticide concentration in soil pore water over incubation periods of up to 28days. Studies with small soil columns compared leaching of technical and formulated pesticide for irrigation events (6 pore volumes) 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28days after treatment. There were no differences in sorption of technical and formulated propyzamide when measured by batch systems. Sorption of technical material was significantly greater than that of formulated pesticide in sandy loam (p<0.05), but not in sandy silt loam when measured by centrifugation of soil incubated at field capacity. Partition coefficients measured by batch and centrifugation methods were similar after 1day and those measured by centrifugation increased by factors of 5.3 to 7.5 over the next 4weeks. The mass of propyzamide leached from soil columns ranged between 1.1±0.33% and 14.4±3.2% of the applied amount. For all time intervals and in both soils, the mass of propyzamide leached was significantly greater (two-sided t-tests, p<0.001) for the formulated product than for the technical material. Leached losses decreased consistently with time in the sandy loam soil (losses after 28days were 14-17% of those after 1day), but with less consistency in the sandy silt loam. There was a highly significant effect of formulation on the leaching of propyzamide through soil (two-way ANOVA, p<0.001) as well as highly significant effects of time and soil type (p<0.001). Results are consistent with modelling studies where leaching from commercial products in the field could only be simulated by reducing sorption coefficients relative to those measured with technical material in the laboratory.

Influence of commercial formulation on leaching of four pesticides through soil

Studies with small soil columns (2cm i.d.×5.4cm depth) compared leaching of four pesticides added either as technical material or as commercial formulations. Pesticides were selected to give a gradient of solubility in water between 7 and 93mgL^-1, comprising azoxystrobin (emulsifiable concentrate, EC, and suspension concentrate, SC), cyproconazole (SC), propyzamide (SC) and triadimenol (EC). Columns of sandy loam soil were leached with 6 pore volumes of 0.01M CaCl₂ either 1 or 7days after treatment. Separate experiments evaluated leaching of triadimenol to full breakthrough following addition of 18 pore volumes of 0.01M CaCl₂. The mass of pesticide leached from columns treated with commercial formulation was significantly larger than that from columns treated with technical material for all compounds studied and for both leaching intervals (two-sided t-tests, p<0.001). This difference was conserved when triadimenol was leached to full breakthrough with 79±1.2 and 61±3.1% of applied triadimenol leached from columns treated with formulated and technical material, respectively. There were highly significant effects of formulation for all pesticides (two-way ANOVA, p<0.001), whereas leaching interval was only significant for azoxystrobin EC formulation and cyproconazole (p<0.001 and 0.021, respectively) with greater leaching when irrigation commenced 1day after treatment. Leaching of azoxystrobin increased in the order technical material (6.0% of applied pesticide)<SC formulation (8.5-9.1% of applied)<EC formulation (15.8-21.0% of applied). The relative difference between leaching of formulated and technical pesticide increased with pesticide solubility in water, increasing from a factor of 1.4 for the SC formulation of azoystrobin to 4.3 for the SC formulation of triadimenol. Experimental systems differ markedly from field conditions (small columns with intense irrigation). Nevertheless, results indicate the need to consider further the influence of co-formulants in pesticide formulations on behaviour of the active ingredient in soil.