Modification of the brain proteome of Africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera) exposed to a sub‐lethal doses of the insecticide fipronil

• Published in: Ecotoxicology (London) Vol. 23; no. 9; pp. 1659 - 1670
• Main Authors: Roat, T. C., dos Santos-Pinto, J. R. A., dos Santos, L. D., Santos, K. S., Malaspina, O., Palma, M. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.11.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analysis; Animals; Bees; Brain - drug effects; Brain - metabolism; Brain damage; Brazil; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Honeybee; Insecticides; Insecticides - toxicity; Lethal Dose 50; Proteins; Proteome - drug effects; Pyrazoles - toxicity; Toxicity Tests, Subacute; Brazil; Phenylpyrazole; Proteomic analysis; Insecticide; 2-DE; Brain proteome; Mass spectrometry
• ISSN: 0963-9292; 1573-3017
• DOI: 10.1007/s10646-014-1305-8

Fipronil is a phenylpyrazole insecticide that is widely used in Brazilian agriculture for pest control. Although honeybees are not targets of fipronil, studies indicate that this pesticide can be harmful to honeybees. To assess the effects of fipronil in the brain of Africanized Apis mellifera workers, this study focused on the toxico-proteome profiling of the brain of newly emerged and aged honeybee workers that were exposed to a sub-lethal dose (10 pg fipronil per day. i.e. 1 / 100 of LD 50 /bee/day during 5 days) of the insecticide. Proteomic analysis identified 25 proteins that were differentially up-regulated or down-regulated when the fipronil-exposed and non-exposed groups were compared. These proteins are potentially related to pathogen susceptibility, neuronal chemical stress, neuronal protein misfolding, and occurrence of apoptosis, ischemia, visual impairment, damaged synapse formation, brain degeneration, memory and learning impairment. The exposure of honeybees to a very low dose of fipronil, even for a short period of time (5 days), was sufficient to cause a series of important neuroproteomic changes in the brains of honeybees.