title: Oxidative stress elicited by insecticides: a role for the adipokinetic hormone.
abstract: Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) are insect neuropeptides responding to stress situations including oxidative stress. Two insecticides - endosulfan and malathion - were used to elicit oxidative stress conditions in the firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus, and the physiological functions of AKHs and their ability to activate protective antioxidative reactions were studied. The insecticide treatments elicited only a slight increase of the AKH level in CNS, but more intensive increase in haemolymph, which indicates an immediate involvement of AKH in the stress response. The treatment also resulted in a significant increase of catalase activity in the bug's body and depletion of the reduced glutathione pool in the haemolymph, however, co-application of the insecticides with the AKH (80 pmol) reduced the effect. It has also been found that co-application of the insecticides with AKH increased significantly the bug mortality compared to that induced by the insecticides alone. This enhanced effect of the insecticides probably resulted from the stimulatory role of AKH on bug metabolism: the carbon dioxide production was increased significantly after the co-treatment by AKH with insecticides compared to insecticide treatment alone. It was hypothesized that the increased metabolic rate could intensify the insecticide action by an accelerated rate of exchange of metabolites accompanied by faster penetration of insecticides into tissues.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Mirna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Velki
authors.forename: Dalibor
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kodrík
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Večeřa
authors.forename: Branimir K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Hackenberger
authors.forename: Radomír
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Socha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002374:Catalase / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004726:Endosulfan / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008294:Malathion / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000502:physiology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
chemical_list: D007301:Insect Hormones; D007306:Insecticides; D009842:Oligopeptides; C044833:adipokinetic hormone; D002374:Catalase; D005978:Glutathione; D004726:Endosulfan; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid; D008294:Malathion