Effect of Aldicarb Exposure on Cellular Immunity and Antioxidant Capacity in Kun-ming Mice

Abstract

Immune function and antioxidant defense play an important role in protecting animals against pathogens and in controlling oxidative stress, respectively. Aldicarb is of great concern for human health due to its toxic nature, its extensive usage and consequent pollution. The hypothesis that aldicarb exposure would suppress immune function and antioxidant capacity in Kunming mice was to be tested in the present study. Twenty-three adult male mice were randomly divided into the control (n = 11) and the aldicarb treated (n = 12) groups. Food and water were provided ad libtum for both groups, while the aldicarb treated mice drank aldicarb solution (0.097 mg/L) for 22 days. Cellular immunity assessed by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) response did not differ between the control and the aldicarb treated groups. Similarly, white blood cells were not influenced by aldicarb treatment. Moreover, aldicarb exposure had not significant effect on body mass, all organ masses detected. However, aldicarb treatment suppressed total antioxidant capacity in liver but not in kidneys. In summary, aldicarb treatment did not affect immune function, but suppressed liver antioxidant capacity in Kunming mice.

Feed Composition Differences Resulting from Organic and Conventional Farming Practices Affect Physiological Parameters in Wistar Rats—Results from a Factorial, Two-Generation Dietary Intervention Trial

“…ANOVA results showed that feed composition changes associated with pesticide and/or mineral fertilizer use (e.g., higher concentrations of aldicarb, diquat, and cadmium, but lower concentrations of fiber and antioxidants in feed crops) resulted in substantial differences in hormone profiles in rats. These findings are consistent with previous studies which reported endocrine and/or immune system disrupting effects of dietary exposure to pesticides and heavy metals such as Cd and Pb [ 21 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 67 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 ], and additive or synergistic effects of combinations of endocrine-disrupting pesticides (insecticides, herbicide and/or fungicides) [ 21 , 33 , 81 , 83 , 84 ].…”

“…The unique factorial design of the dietary intervention study reported here allowed the effect of, and interactions between, different crop protection and fertilization regimes used in organic and conventional farming on crop composition and health-related physiological markers in rats to be identified. This study is also the first multigenerational study that compared the effect of feed composition differences resulting from organic and conventional crop protection and fertilization regimes on growth, hormone, and immune system parameters that were previously described as markers for the risk of overweight/obesity, metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases in animals and humans [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ].…”

“…The main objective of the dietary intervention trial reported here was therefore to compare the effect of feed composition differences resulting from organic and conventional crop protection and fertilization regimes on growth, hormone, and immune system parameters in a two-generation study with rats. Assessments focused on growth, endocrine, and immunological parameters that were previously described as markers for the risk of overweight/obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other chronic diseases in animals and humans [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Analyses were designed to (a) test the hypothesis that differences in maternal nutrition (e.g., intake of antioxidants and endocrine-disrupting chemicals) may result in epigenetic programming or “adaptive” phenotypes in subsequent generations, and (b) develop a mechanistic understanding of the associations between organic food consumption and lower incidences of obesity and other diseases reported in human cohort studies [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ].…”