Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Their Characteristic Metabolites may Induce High Fasting Blood Glucose and Obesity in Human

Abstract

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs) nd widespread application globally as a safeguard for agricultural production. While these pollutants exhibit toxicity towards non-target organisms and pose potential risks to human health, there is a noticeable dearth of studies documenting the adverse effects of neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs) speci cally in humans. In this study, the concentrations of six NEOs and their ve metabolites were measured in the blood samples collected from the normal (n = 130) and obesity (n = 130) cohorts in South China. An evaluation was undertaken to examine the associations between the levels of target analytes and either fasting blood glucose (FBG) or the condition of being overweight. Results showed that the NEOs and their metabolites were frequently detected (63%-100%) in both cohorts, with median levels of 0.01-4.32 ng/mL. Discernible gender-related disparities were noted within the blood samples, manifesting as elevated concentrations of the majority of NEOs and their metabolites in females compared to males. In addition, there were positive correlations between the concentrations of IMIeq (imidacloprid equivalent, calculated using the relative potency factors of NEOs and their metabolites) and UF (a metabolite of dinotefuran) with FBG levels (3.28 ng/mL vs. 4.32 ng/mL for UF, and 34.6 ng/mL vs. 40.6 ng/mL for IMIeq). Moreover, signi cant associations were found between UF [odds ratio = 1.78, 95% con dence interval (CI) = 0.86-4.66, p < 0.01] and IMIeq (odds ratio = 1.66, 95% CI = 0.94-3.56, p < 0.01) concentrations and being overweight. Our ndings indicated that human exposure to NEOs and their metabolites may induce high FBG and obesity. This study documented the pro le of NEOs and their metabolites in the blood samples from the normal and obesity cohorts in South China for the rst time.