Abstract
Neonicotinoids (NEOs) have been designed to act selectively on insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). However, nAChRs are also expressed in vertebrate immune cells, so NEOs may interfere with the immune system in exposed non-target animals. The present study shows that NEOs: imidacloprid and thiacloprid, and their main metabolites: desnitro-imidacloprid and thiacloprid amide, at sub-micromolar concentrations ranging from 2.25 to 20 μM, affect the immune cells of fish. This was found both in primary cultures of leukocytes isolated from the carp head kidney and in the continuous adherent carp monocyte/macrophage cell line. Moreover, the results revealed that the studied pesticides and metabolites generate oxidative stress in carp immune cells and that this is one of the most important mechanisms of neonicotinoid immunotoxicity. Significant increases were observed in the formation of ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA). The antioxidant status alteration was linked with decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and non-enzymatic antioxidant glutathione (GSH). Importantly, the metabolites: desnitro-imidacloprid and thiacloprid amide showed significantly higher cytotoxicity towards fish leukocytes than their parent compounds, imidacloprid and thiacloprid, which emphasizes the importance of including intermediate metabolites in toxicology studies.