Fipronil (FP) is an insecticide used in the treatment and control of pests, but it also adversely affects bees. Currently, there is no data on the genotoxic effects of FP in the brain of bumblebees. Thus, through the comet assay and routine morphological analysis, we analyzed the morphological effects and potential genotoxicity of environmentally relevant concentrations of FP on the brain of . Bumblebees were exposed at concentrations of 2.5 μg/g and 3.5 μg/g for 96 hours. After the exposure, the brains were removed for morphological and morphometric analysis, and the comet assay procedure - used to detect DNA damage in individual cells using electrophoresis. Our data showed that both concentrations (2.5 μg/g and 3.5 μg/g) caused DNA damage in brain cells. These results corroborate the morphological data. We observed signs of synapse loss in the structure, intercellular spaces between compact inner and non-compact inner cells, and cell swelling. This study provides unprecedented evidence of the effects of FP on DNA and cellular structures in the brain of and reinforces the need to elucidate its toxic effects on other species to allow future risk assessments and conservation projects.

中文翻译：

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环境浓度氟虫腈对白熊蜂 DNA 完整性和大脑结构的影响


氟虫腈（FP）是一种用于治疗和控制害虫的杀虫剂，但它也会对蜜蜂产生不利影响。目前，还没有关于 FP 对熊蜂大脑的遗传毒性影响的数据。因此，通过彗星实验和常规形态学分析，我们分析了环境相关浓度的FP对大脑的形态学影响和潜在的遗传毒性。熊蜂在 2.5 μg/g 和 3.5 μg/g 的浓度下暴露 96 小时。暴露后，取出大脑进行形态学和形态测量分析，并使用彗星测定程序 - 通过电泳检测单个细胞中的 DNA 损伤。我们的数据表明，两种浓度（2.5 μg/g 和 3.5 μg/g）都会导致脑细胞 DNA 损伤。这些结果证实了形态学数据。我们观察到结构中突触丢失的迹象、致密内细胞和非致密内细胞之间的细胞间隙以及细胞肿胀。这项研究提供了前所未有的证据，证明 FP 对大脑 DNA 和细胞结构的影响，并强调需要阐明其对其他物种的毒性影响，以便未来进行风险评估和保护项目。