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Imidacloprid impedes mitochondrial function and induces oxidative stress in cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera larvae (Hubner: Noctuidae)

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Abstract

Neonicotinoids have high agonistic affinity to insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) and are frequently used as insecticides against most devastating lepidopteran insect pests. Imidacloprid influenced dose-dependent decline in the state III and IV respiration, respiration control index (RCI), and P/O ratios, in vitro and in vivo. The bioassay indicated its LD50 value to be 531.24 μM. The insecticide exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition on F0F1-ATPase and complex IV activity. At 600 μM, the insecticide inhibited 83.62 and 27.13% of F0F1-ATPase and complex IV activity, respectively, and induced the release of 0.26 nmoles/min/mg protein of cytochrome c. A significant dose- and time-dependent increase in oxidative stress was observed; at 600 μM, the insecticide correspondingly induced lipid peroxidation, LDH activity, and accumulation of H2O2 content by 83.33, 31.51 and 223.66%. The stress was the maximum at 48 h of insecticide treatment (91.58, 35.28, and 189.80%, respectively). In contrast, catalase and superoxide dismutase were reduced in a dose- and time-dependent manner in imidacloprid-fed larvae. The results therefore suggest that imidacloprid impedes mitochondrial function and induces oxidative stress in H. armigera, which contributes to reduced growth of the larvae along with its neurotoxic effect.

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Acknowledgements

The present work was carried out at the Insect Rearing Laboratory, Entomology, ICRISAT, Hyderabad. It was supported by Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, India, under financial assistance for Ph.D. students (No. GUG/SC/ST cell/2013-14/375) and Special Assistance Programme (SAP) sanctioned to the Department by Govt. of India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka, 585106, India

    Bharat Nareshkumar & Kuruba Sreeramulu

  2. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Telangana State, 502324, India

    Bharat Nareshkumar & Hari Chand Sharma

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, 580007, India

    Shaik Mohammad Akbar

  4. Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173230, India

    Hari Chand Sharma

  5. College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences–Raichur, Gulbarga, Karnataka, 585 103, India

    Senigala K. Jayalakshmi

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  1. Bharat Nareshkumar
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Correspondence to Kuruba Sreeramulu.

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Nareshkumar, B., Akbar, S.M., Sharma, H.C. et al. Imidacloprid impedes mitochondrial function and induces oxidative stress in cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera larvae (Hubner: Noctuidae). J Bioenerg Biomembr 50, 21–32 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-017-9739-3

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