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The indiscriminate use of pesticides is one of the factors directly impacting bee populations. However, limited information is available on the pesticide effects on solitary bees, especially in Neotropical countries. In this scenario, this study evaluated the survival and histopathological effects caused by the neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid (7 ng/μL) and the fungicide azoxystrobin (10 ng/μL) in the midgut and parietal fat body of the solitary bee Centris analis. Female and male newly-emerged bees were orally exposed for 48 h to the pesticides, or alone or in combination, under laboratory conditions. The exposure to the insecticide reduced the survival of males, while the mixture reduced survival in both sexes. Acetamiprid promoted a reduction in the number of regenerative nests in the midgut, alterations of fat body cells by increasing carbohydrates in trophocytes, and reduction of oenocyte size, and increased the frequency of pericardial cells in the advanced activity stage. Both pesticides caused changes in HSP70 immunolabelling of midgut from males at the end of pesticide exposure. Comparatively, the effects on males were stronger than in females exposed to the same pesticides. Therefore, acetamiprid alone and in mixture with fungicide azoxystrobin can be harmful to males and females of Neotropical solitary bee C. analis showing lethal and sublethal effects at a concentration likely to be found in the environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Residue behaviour and dietary risk assessment of cyantraniliprole, flubendiamide and acetamiprid in broccoli were carried out using the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) technique coupled with LC-MS/MS. The QuEChERS technique was validated on parameters such as linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, matrix effects, limit of quantification (LOQ), specificity, retention time and ion ratio as per SANTE (Directorate General for Health and Food Safety) guidelines to attest to the specificity, accuracy and precision of the analytical method in estimating insecticide residues in and on broccoli heads and cropped soil. The LOQ of the method for all three insecticides was 0.01 mg/kg. The initial deposits of cyantraniliprole, flubendiamide and acetamiprid reduced to half of its concentration in 1.873-2.354, 1.975-2.484 and 1.371-1.620 days, respectively. No residues were detected in broccoli-cropped soil at harvest time (30 days after last spray). The proposed maximum residue limits (MRLs) of 1.5, 0.5-0.9 and 2.0-3 mg/kg for cyantraniliprole, flubendiamide and acetamiprid were calculated using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development MRL calculator. The acute and chronic dietary risk assessment of the tested insecticides identified no appreciable dietary risk to the Indian population from the consumption of broccoli heads. The findings of no dietary risk highlight the importance of informed pesticide usage in broccoli and the proposed MRL derived from this study offers crucial guidelines for the regulatory authorities, ensuring the safety of broccoli consumption., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Neonicotinoid insecticides specifically target insect subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Acetamiprid (ACE: C10H11ClN4), the neonicotinoid insecticide, is used to control crop insect pests worldwide. It is a nitrile, monochloropyridine, and carboxamidine that is highly soluble and accessible to waterways. There, it causes neurotoxic and oxidative perturbance to non-target organisms. The unionid mussel Chamabradia rubens is a common Northern River Nile suspension feeder. The current study aimed to assess ACE filtration from waters by C. rubens, and whether this biological power can reduce ACE effects on fish. Removal of ACE by C. rubens was assessed using LC-MS/MS. Zebrafish Danio rerio adults were exposed to different sublethal doses of ACE in the presence or absence of C. rubens in their aquaria. The results showed that mussels could remove significant ACE amounts from water, where it accumulated mostly in the digestive gland. The presence of C.rubens in zebrafish aquaria having ACE was accompanied by significant upregulation of antioxidant enzyme gene transcripts and total H 2 O 2 scavenging, in contrast to mussel-free ACE-exposed groups. Meanwhile, liver triglycerides rose 5-6-fold in response to ACE in the "Fish-Only" groups, indicating an ACE-induced hepatotoxicity. Also, Insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf1) and fish body mass increased more in "Fish + Mussel" groups than in the "Fish-Only" ones. In aggregate, these findings suggest that the Nile mussel could reduce the oxidative stress and metabolic changes induced in fish by ACE. This can contribute valuable environmental and economic benefits upon the use of this mussel as a biofilter., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used in agriculture and have been linked to various detrimental physiological effects on wild birds. Despite this, the impact of acetamiprid - a less studied member of the neonicotinoid family - on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsible for the hormonal regulation of the response to stress has rarely been examined in birds. In our study, we explored the effects of acetamiprid on feather levels of corticosterone, the major end product of the HPA, and blood oxidative status of House sparrows (Passer domesticus), following the ingestion of a low, field-realistic dose during two consecutive experiments in 2015 and 2016. We involved 112 birds in each experiment - 56 males and 56 females - that were administered a placebo or a dose of acetamiprid equivalent to 0.5% of the LD 50 of the Zebra finch over the entire duration of the experiments, which lasted approximately three weeks. We measured corticosterone concentrations in feathers grown during an acclimation phase before ingestion and in newly grown feather after the experiment and assessed three oxidative stress markers in the blood. We found no impact of acetamiprid on oxidative stress markers. However, in 2015, male sparrows that ingested acetamiprid exhibited higher corticosterone levels in their feathers compared to those that received a placebo. No such difference was found in females. Interestingly, this effect was not observed in year 2016, which was characterised by less stressful conditions for the birds. These findings offer the first evidence of a potential effect of acetamiprid on corticosterone levels in a songbird, suggesting that ingesting this compound at very low dose may alter the endocrine physiology of the response to stress., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Sitobion miscanthi and Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) are the 2 main aphid species that occur simultaneously, causing significant loss to wheat production. Acetamiprid has been used to control a variety of pests, including aphids. In this study, the sublethal effect of acetamiprid on S. miscanthi and S. graminum was evaluated using life-table analyses. The results showed that acetamiprid has a high toxicity to S. miscanthi and S. graminum with a LC50 of 1.90 and 3.58 mg/L at 24 h, respectively. The adult longevity and fecundity of S. miscanthi and S. graminum F0 generation were significantly reduced after being exposed to a sublethal concentration of acetamiprid. Additionally, the sublethal concentration of acetamiprid had negative transgenerational effects on S. miscanthi and S. graminum, which showed a significant decrease in fecundity and population life-table parameters involving age-stage-specific survival rate (sxj), age-specific survival rate (lx), and intrinsic rate of increase (r). Furthermore, the population projections showed that the total population size of S. miscanthi and S. graminum was significantly lower in the aphid group exposed to sublethal concentration of acetamiprid compared to the control group. These results suggest that sublethal concentration of acetamiprid suppresses the population growth of S. miscanthi and S. graminum. This finding is beneficial to the control of wheat aphids, and is important to fully understand the role of acetamiprid in integrated pest management., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Neonicotinoids form a class of insecticides that are chemically related to nicotine and are widely used in crop protection. They have adverse effects on the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). One of the neonicotinoids approved for control of the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii is acetamiprid. Despite concerns regarding its genotoxicity and data indicating the presence of small amounts of this substance in fruits intended for consumption, effects of its low doses on nerve cells are yet to be investigated. To determine whether the neurotoxic effects are species-specific and vary depending on the insecticide present in diet, multigenerational cultures of Drosophila melanogaster and D. suzukii were prepared, in this study, in media supplemented with different concentrations (below the LC50) of acetamiprid and nicotine. Acetamiprid, analogous to nicotine, caused damage to the DNA of neuroblasts in both species, at sublethal concentrations, along with a decrease in mobility, which remained at a similar level over subsequent generations. D. suzukii was found to be more sensitive to nicotine and acetamiprid, due to which the genotoxic effects were stronger even at lower doses of toxins. The results collectively indicated that even low concentrations of acetamiprid affect the stem cells of developing fly brain, and that long-term response to the tested insecticides is species-specific., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Acetamiprid (ACDP) is a widely used neonicotinoid insecticide that is popular for its efficacy in controlling fleas in domestic settings and for pets. Our study aims to offer a comprehensive examination of the toxicological impacts of ACDP and the prophylactic effects of cinnamon nanoemulsions (CMNEs) on the pathological, immunohistochemical, and hematological analyses induced by taking ACDP twice a ‎week for 28 days. Forty healthy rats were divided into four groups (n = 10) at random; the first group served as control rats; the second received CMNEs (2 mg/Kg body weight); the third group received acetamiprid (ACDP group; 21.7 mg/Kg body weight), and the fourth group was given both ACDP and CMNEs by oral gavage. Following the study period, tissue and blood samples were extracted and prepared for analysis. According to a GC-MS analysis, CMNEs had several bioactive ingredients that protected the liver from oxidative stress by upregulating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. Our findings demonstrated that whereas ACDP treatment considerably boosted white blood cells (WBCs) and lymphocytes, it significantly lowered body weight gain (BWG), red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), and platelets (PLT). ACDP notably reduced antioxidant enzyme activities: superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) and elevated hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde levels compared with other groups. ACDP remarkably raised alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate amino transaminase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels.Moreover, the histopathological and immunohistochemistry assays discovered a severe toxic effect on the liver and kidney following ACDP delivery. Furthermore, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) + immunoexpression was enhanced after treatment with CMNEs. All of the parameters above were returned to nearly normal levels by the coadministration of CMNEs. The molecular docking of cinnamaldehyde with COX-2 also confirmed the protective potential of CMNEs against ACDP toxicity. Our findings highlighted that the coadministration of CMNEs along with ACDP diminished its toxicity by cutting down oxidative stress and enhancing antioxidant capacity, demonstrating the effectiveness of CMNEs in lessening ACDP toxicity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Structure-activity relationships of diazinoyl nicotinic insecticides (diazinoyl isomers and 5- or 6-substituted pyrazin-2-oyl analogues) are considered in terms of affinity to the insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and insecticidal activity against the imidacloprid-resistant brown planthopper. Among the test compounds, 3-(6-chloropyridin-3-ylmethyl)-2-(pyrazinoyl)iminothiazoline shows the highest potency in nAChR affinity and insecticidal activity. Aplysia californica acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP) mutants (Y55W + Q57R and Y55W + Q57T) are utilized to compare molecular recognition of nicotinic insecticides with diverse pharmacophores. N -nitro- or N -cyanoimine imidacloprid or acetamiprid, respectively, exhibits a high affinity to these AChBP mutants at a similar potency level. Intriguingly, the pyrazin-2-oyl analogue has a higher affinity to AChBP Y55W + Q57R than that to Y55W + Q57T, thereby indicating that pyrazine nitrogen atoms contact Arg57 guanidinium and Trp55 indole NH. Furthermore, nicotine prefers AChBP Y55W + Q57T over Y55W + Q57R, conceivably suggesting that the protonated nicotine is repulsed by Arg57 guanidinium, consistent with its inferior potency to insect nAChR.

With projections suggesting an increase in the global use of neonicotinoids, contemporary farmers can get caught on the "pesticide treadmill", thus creating ecosystem side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the sorption/desorption behavior of acetamiprid, imidacloprid, and thiacloprid that controls their availability to other fate-determining processes and thus could be useful in leveling the risk these insecticides or their structural analogues pose to the environment, animals, and human health. Sorption/desorption isotherms in four soils with different organic matter (OC) content were modelled by nonlinear equilibrium models: Freundlich's, Langmuir's, and Temkin's. Sorption/desorption parameters obtained by Freundlich's model were correlated to soil physico-chemical characteristics. Even though the OC content had the dominant role in the sorption of the three insecticides, the role of its nature as well as the chemical structure of neonicotinoids cannot be discarded. Insecticides sorbed in the glassy OC phase will be poorly available unlike those in the rubbery regions. Imidacloprid will fill the sorption sites equally in the rubbery and glassy phases irrespective of its concentration. The sorption of thiacloprid at low concentrations and acetamiprid at high concentrations is controlled by hydrophilic aromatic structures, "trapping" the insecticides in the pores of the glassy phase of OC.

Acetamiprid (ACE) and Imidacloprid (IMI) are widely-used neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) with functional activity at human acetylcholine nicotinic receptors and, therefore, with putative toxic effects. The objective of this study was the evaluation of the interactions between NNIs and α7-nAChR, as this receptor keeps intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) to an optimum for an adequate neuronal functioning. Possible interactions between NNIs and the cryo-EM structure of the human α-7 nAChR were identified by molecular docking. Additionally, NNI effects were analyzed in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, as they naturally express α-7 nAChRs. Functional studies included proliferative/cytotoxic effects (MTT test) in undifferentiated SH-SY-5Y cells and indirect measurements of [Ca2+]i transients in retinoic acid-differentiated SH-SY-5Y cells loaded with Fluo-4 AM. Docking analysis showed that the binding of IMI and ACE occurred at the same aromatic cage that the specific α-7 nAChR agonist EVP-6124. IMI showed a better docking strength than ACE. According to the MTT assays, low doses (10-50 µM) of IMI better than ACE stimulated neuroblastoma cell proliferation. At higher doses (250-500 µM), IMI also prevailed over ACE and dose-dependently triggered more abrupt fluorescence changes due to [Ca2+]i mobilization in differentiated SH-SY5Y neurons. Indeed, only IMI blunted nicotine-evoked intracellular fluorescence stimulation (i.e., nicotine cross-desensitization). Summarizing, IMI demonstrated a superior docking strength and more robust cellular responses compared to ACE, which were likely associated with a stronger activity at α-7nAChRs. Through the interaction with α-7nAChRs, IMI would demonstrate its high neurotoxic potential for humans. More research is needed for investigating the proliferative effects of IMI in neuroblastoma cells., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Acetamiprid and pyridaben are highly efficient insecticides widely used to protect leafy vegetables against various pests, such as Phyllotreta striolata, but analyses of their residual behaviors applied in mixtures in cabbage fields are primarily lacking. Herein, field trials were performed by spraying 50% acetamiprid-pyridaben wettable powder (50% WP) once at a dose of 150 g of active ingredient per hectare in 12 representative provinces of China under Good Agricultural Practices. The residues of acetamiprid and pyridaben were detected using modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, together with an assessment of their dietary risks. The average recoveries of the two insecticides were 84.6-104%, and the relative standard deviations were 0.898-10.1%. The residual concentrations of acetamiprid and pyridaben at the preharvest interval of 7 days were <0.364 and 0.972 mg/kg, respectively, and less than their maximum residue limits in cabbage (0.5 mg/kg for acetamiprid and 2 mg/kg for pyridaben) in China. The chronic and acute risk values of acetamiprid and pyridaben were 0.0787-33.3%, implying acceptable health hazards to Chinese consumers. In conclusion, applying 50% WP in cabbage fields under Good Agricultural Practices is acceptable. These results provide essential data for using mixtures of acetamiprid and pyridaben in cabbage fields., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Solitary bees are important pollinators of crops and wild plants, and their decline poses a risk to the sustained provision of the services they provide. Although evidence suggests that exposure to insecticides can affect bees, most pesticide research and risk assessment has focussed on social bees and mortality while solitary species are understudied. The ability to forage is critical for solitary bee reproduction, also in how they deliver pollination services, and we know little about how insecticides can impact these behaviours. We exposed solitary red mason bees (Osmia bicornis) to field realistic levels of two widely used insecticides with differing modes of action (lambda-cyhalothrin (pyrethroid) and acetamiprid (neonicotinoid)), in a semi-field setting over multiple rounds of exposure. We then tested impacts on bee behaviour and pollination in apples, an important global insect-pollinated crop. Pollination by insecticide-treated bees reduced apple production by up to 86 % depending on the compound and the number of exposures, but the underlying mechanism behind this remains unclear and should be investigated further. Other measurements of pollination services including number of seeds per apple and stigma pollen deposition showed no relationship with pesticide treatment. Bee foraging behaviour was also affected by treatment where both insecticides appear to induce an excitatory effect which was constant for acetamiprid and eventually ceased for lambda-cyhalothrin after multiple exposures. This suggests that both neonicotinoid and non‑neonicotinoid insecticides can potentially affect behaviour and pollination services of solitary bees depending on how often they are exposed, which is particularly important given the changing usage patterns of these compound classes based on regulations around their use. This highlights the importance of moving insecticide risk assessment towards more field realistic scenarios and including sublethal effects on solitary and social bees, in addition to considering repeated exposures of bees to pesticides as is realistic in the field., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Acetamiprid (ACT) is used extensively in agriculture worldwide, although data on ACT concentrations in natural water bodies and its impact on aquatic organisms are limited. To study whether ACT influences the embryogenesis of the South African clawed frog Xenopus laevis, embryos were incubated in ACT solutions from 0.01 to 100 mg/L. The low concentrations were chosen on the basis of concentrations already found in nature. ACT treatment leads to shorter embryo lengths, intestine malformation and reduced eye areas. It also affects the cranial cartilage and cardiac development as well as the embryo's mobility. The expression of tissue-specific marker genes is affected as well. Thus, our study suggests that pesticides may lead to an increased mortality of non-target organisms and emphasizes the importance of regular testing for ACT concentrations in nature. Our study provides an overview of ACT effects and can therefore be used as a basis for an ACT risk assessment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work presented in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A simple and effective graphene oxide-magnetic relaxation switch (GO-MRS) sensor that combines graphene oxide (GO) and aptamer-modified poly-L-lysine(PLL)-Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @PLL-Apt NPs) was designed for the detection of acetamiprid (ACE). In this sensor, Fe 3 O 4 @PLL-Apt NPs acted as a relaxation signal probe and GO facilitated the generation of relaxation signal changes (dispersion/aggregation shift), while the aptamer is a molecular component that recognizes ACE. This GO-assisted magnetic signal probe improves the stability of magnetic nanoparticles in solution and enhances their sensitivity to small molecules while avoiding cross-reactions. Under optimal conditions, the sensor exhibits a wide working range (10-80 nM) and low detection limit (8.43 nM). The spiked recoveries ranged from 96.54 to 103.17%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 2.3%. In addition, the performance of the GO-MRS sensor matched that of the standard method (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)), indicating that the GO-MRS sensor is suitable for the detection of ACE in vegetables., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Acetamiprid is a broad-spectrum insecticide, belonging to the neonicotinoid compounds group, which has been extensively applied throughout the globe. Recently, indiscriminate use of these compounds was reported to cause fatal impacts on non-targeted soil organisms. Hence, the present study aimed to examine the impact of acetamiprid on Indian indigenous earthworm, Perionyx excavatus. Acute toxicity revealed an LC 50 concentration of 0.25 µg/cm 2 for filter paper test/72 h and 400 µg/kg for artificial soil test/14 days. Oxidative stress (ROS) and various biomarkers including superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, malondialdehyde content and DNA damage were measured. The results of the biomarker responses confirmed the acetamiprid exposure can cause toxicity to P. excavatus. In addition, cell density (20 × 10 2 cell mL/mg) and cell viability (40%) were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced. Further, the ecotoxicological assessment made through this study can be utilized as good evidence to toxicity of neonicotinoids to non-targeted indigenous organisms., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Gill's mealybug, Ferrisia gilli (Gullan) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is a major pest of pistachio in California. Insecticide treatment is the primary control method and acetamiprid is widely used to control this pest. However, there have been numerous reports of control failures for F. gilli after field applications of recommended insecticides in recent years. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for routine monitoring of F. gilli susceptibility and quantify current levels of F. gilli susceptibility to acetamiprid. A leaf-dip bioassay method using lima bean leaves was established and baseline susceptibility responses of 5 field populations were determined. Lethal concentrations to kill 50% of population (LC50) for second instar nymphs at 48 h ranged from 0.367 to 2.398 µg(AI)ml-1 of acetamiprid. Similarly, lethal concentrations to kill 90% of population (LC90) for second instar nymphs at 48 h ranged from 2.887 to 10.752 µg(AI)ml-1 of acetamiprid. The F. gilli population collected from Hanford area showed up to 6.5-fold significantly decreased mortality to acetamiprid compared to other populations. The resistance identified in this study, although relatively low, indicates that there has been repeated pressure to select for acetamiprid resistance and resistance levels can further magnify if effective management steps are not taken. The baseline susceptibility established in this study can be used to investigate potential cause of recent acetamiprid failures against F. gilli. In the long-term, results of this study will support the development of resistance management strategies by monitoring shifts in the susceptibility of F. gilli populations., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2023.)

Acetamiprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide used in crop protection worldwide. Such widespread application can pose risks to pollinator insects, particularly to honeybees (Apis mellifera); therefore, the evaluation of the harmful effects of acetamiprid is necessary. Recent studies report behavior and gene expression dysfunction in honeybees, related to acetamiprid contamination. However, most studies do not consider potential metabolism disorders. To examine the effects of sublethal acetamiprid doses on the hemolymph metabolism of honeybees, worker bee larvae(2 days old) were fed with sucrose water containing different concentrations of acetamiprid (0, 5, and 25 mg/L) until capped (6 days old). The hemolymph (200 μL) of freshly capped larvae was collected for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Overall, increasing acetamiprid exposure induced greater metabolic variations in worker bee larvae(treated groups compared to untreated). In the positive ion mode, 36 common differential metabolites in the acetamiprid-treated groups were screened from the identified differential metabolites. Of these, 19 metabolites were upregulated, and 17 were downregulated. 10 common differential metabolites were screened in the negative ion mode. 3 metabolites were upregulated, and 7 metabolites were downregulated. These common metabolites included traumatic acid, indole etc. These commonly differentiated metabolites were classified as compounds with biological roles, lipids, and phytochemical compounds, and others. The metabolic pathways of common differentiated metabolites with significant differences (P < 0.05) included the metabolism of tryptophan, purines, phenylalanine, etc. As the concentration of acetamiprid increased, the content of traumatic acid increased, the content of tryptophan metabolite l-kynurenine and indole decreased, and the content of lipids also decreased. Our results revealed that the damage to honeybee larvae increased when the acetamiprid solution formulations residue in their food had a concentration higher than 5 mg/L, causing metabolic disorders in various substances in larvae. Analysis of these metabolic processes can provide a theoretical basis for further research on the metabolism of acetamiprid-treated honeybees and elucidate the detoxification mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Extensive use of neonicotinoid insecticides in recent decade had contaminated water and soil systems and poses serious environmental and health risk. Microbial degradation of toxic contaminants in the environment has been established as a sustainable tool towards its remediation. Under this context, the present study focused on the biodegradation of neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid, by bacterial strain Brucella intermedia PDB13 isolated from the gut of the acetamiprid exposed earthworms. To enhance acetamiprid biodegradation, suitable parameters such as pH, temperature, inoculum size and acetamiprid concentration range were optimised using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The experimental results showed that the Brucella intermedium PDB13 can tolerate and degrade relatively high concentrations of acetamiprid (50 - 350 mg L -1 ). The results confirmed that maximum degradation of about 89.72% was achieved under optimized conditions. Further, confirmation of acetamiprid biodegradation was assessed through the occurrence of its degraded metabolites through HPLC, FTIR, and LCMS analysis. Based on this analysis, possible acetamiprid biodegradation pathway by Brucella intermedia PDB13 was proposed. Additionally, cytotoxicity, earthworm acute toxicity, and zebrafish embryo toxicity studies were also performed to assess the toxicity variations between the parent compound and its metabolites. The acetamiprid treated group resulted in cytotoxic effects apparently, with the increase in aberrant cells frequency (22.5 ± 3.3), when compared with its metabolites (2.3 ± 4.3) and control (1.9 ± 5.6) respectively. All these results evidently reported the degradation potential of Brucella intermedia PDB13, thereby establishing the scope for further advanced biodegradation studies towards mitigating the pesticide pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Due to its high solubility in water, a large amount of the neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid persisting in the soil of treated crops enters surface water or groundwater. The aim of this study was to investigate the photocatalytic degradation of acetamiprid in an aqueous medium. The experiments were carried out in an annular suspension reactor operating in recirculated batch mode and using a UV-A lamp as the radiation source. An appropriate modification of the commercial TiO 2 -P25 photocatalyst was carried out to reduce its band gap energy and electron-hole recombination as well as to extend the visible light range of TiO 2 . The photodegradation study was carried out using a three-factor two-stage Box-Behnken experimental design to investigate the main effects and interactions between the operating variables, such as solution pH, initial concentration of acetamiprid, and amount of photocatalyst. The efficiency of the processes was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The first-order pseudo-reaction kinetic model, as a simplification of the models of Langmuir-Hinshelwood under conditions of relatively low acetamiprid concentration, was applied and the reaction rate constants were estimated. The results of the study showed that the initial concentration of the pollutant was the most influential factor for the photocatalytic degradation process. Using ANOVA analysis, a linear model was established to predict the system behaviour at different operating conditions. The highest conversion and rate constant of acetamiprid degradation were recorded in the experiment with the lowest tested concentration of acetamiprid (2 mg/L), the average concentration of photocatalyst (60 mg) and at pH 8.

Acetamiprid, a commonly detected neonicotinoid in aquatic ecosystems, poses a threat to aquatic non-target organisms. However, limited information is available on the toxic effects of acetamiprid on nontarget aquatic organisms. This study assessed the toxic effects of acetamiprid on Xenopus laevis, a typical model organism. The acute toxicity for 96 h revealed that acetamiprid had detrimental effects with a median lethal concentration (LC 50 ) value of 64.48 mg/L. Toxicity assays, including oxidative stress, histopathology and untargeted metabolomics of acetamiprid to X. laevis, were performed for 28 d at 1/10 and 1/100 LC 50 by studying the liver, which is the most antioxidant and major metabolic organ. The results demonstrated that acetamiprid exposure significantly changed the oxidant status of and caused histological damage to the liver. Furthermore, the untargeted metabolomic analysis based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified the endogenous metabolites that were significantly altered. There were 89 differential metabolites compared to the controls: 64 in the 1/10 LC 50 group, 47 in the 1/100 LC 50 group, and 23 metabolites in the 1/10 LC 50 group were the same as those in the 1/100 LC 50 group. Sixteen pathways that were mainly associated with amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism, such as sphingolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism and histidine metabolism, were disrupted, revealing the hepatotoxic effects of acetamiprid on X. laevis at the molecular level. These findings provide crucial information for evaluating the aquatic risks of neonicotinoids., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Thrips pests cause increasing damage to crops around the world. Widespread usage of some insecticides against thrips has now led to the evolution of resistance to several active ingredients, and new insecticides are required. This study examined the toxicity of the novel insecticide broflanilide to multiple populations of several thrips pests., Results: Bioassays showed that thrips populations had LC 50 values ranging from 0.5 to almost 300 mg·L -1 . A population of Frankliniella occidentalis had the highest LC 50 value at 290.63 mg·L -1 , while a population of Echinothrips americanus had the lowest LC 50 value at 0.51 mg L -1 . LC 50 values among seven populations of Thrips palmi ranged from 2.5689 to 23.6754 mg·L -1 , indicating intraspecific variation in toxicity. In this species, the toxicity of broflanilide was relatively higher in adults than in larvae. More than 90% of eggs of T. palmi could not develop into larvae when treated with 5-50 mg L -1 broflanilide. Compared to five commonly used insecticides, broflanilide showed relatively high toxicity to T. palmi. Field control tests with T. palmi showed that control efficacy (from 90.44% to 93.14%) was maintained from day three to day 14 after treatment with 22.5 and 45 ga.i hm -1 broflanilide., Conclusion: Broflanilide is potentially a useful insecticide for controlling Thrips hawaiiensis, Frankliniella intonsa, Megalurothrips usitatus. E. americanus, and some populations of T. palmi. However, the variation in toxicity of this insecticide to different species, populations, and developmental stages indicates that target species and life stages may need to be carefully considered. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Neonicotinoids (NEOs) are neurotoxic pesticides acting as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists. NEOs' efficacy against pest insects has favoured their spreading use in agriculture, but their proven effectiveness against non-target insects in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems also raised concern over their environmental impact. Crustaceans were often studied for the impacts of NEOs due to their economic values and nervous' system similarity with insects. However, most studies on crustaceans focused on acute effects or exposure of early-life stages, while long-term effects were seldom explored. The present study aimed to assess the potential long-term effects of four commercially available NEOs on the reproduction and offspring of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa, a key species in the food webs of several coastal and estuarine environments. NEOs were confirmed as potent interferents of copepod reproduction. The first-generation compound acetamiprid significantly inhibited egg production and hatching ratio at 10 ng L -1 , while larval survival and development were affected at 81 ng L -1 . Similarly, the first-generation compound thiacloprid significantly inhibited the hatching ratio and larval development at 9 ng L -1 , while it did not affect egg production and larval survival. Second-generation compounds were less toxic than acetamiprid and thiacloprid: clothianidin affected significantly only larval development of the offspring at 62 ng L -1 , while thiamethoxam was not toxic at both the tested concentrations (8 ng L -1 and 84 ng L -1 ). These data evidenced that effects on copepods may occur at concentrations below the chronic aquatic life benchmarks reported by USEPA for acetamiprid (2100 ng L -1 ) and thiacloprid (970 ng L -1 ), suggesting that long-term effects of NEOs have been underestimated. A comparison with environmental concentrations evidenced that NEO-mediated effects on copepods are more liable in coastal areas receiving discharge from wastewater treatment plants or diffuse inputs from agricultural land during pesticide application periods., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides for pest control, imidacloprid (IMI) and acetamiprid (ACE) posed neurotoxicity effects on living organisms. However, researches of the differences in toxicity mechanism between these two neonicotinoid insecticides are still limited. In this study, different cellular metabolism perturbations and redox homeostasis damages induced by IMI and ACE exposure in Neuro-2a cells were investigated. Distinct elevation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and caspase 7 level demonstrated the influences on necrosis and apoptosis. There were 21 and 12 metabolites screened out as potential biomarkers after IMI and ACE exposure, including lipids and amino acids. Remarkable decrease of lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) and increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were found only in the ACE20 group. Interference with glutathione metabolism pathway was further validated by detecting GPx (glutathion peroxidase), GSH (reduced glutathione) and GSSG (oxidized glutathione) levels. Taken together, the metabolic interferences and oxidative damages in ACE20 group were significantly different from the other three exposure groups. These results help to explore the toxicity mechanism of neonicotinoid insecticides from multiple perspectives. This study provides scientific basis for evaluating toxicity of different neonicotinoid insecticides., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acetamiprid is widely used in paddy fields for controlling Nilaparvata lugens (Stål). However, the risk of resistance development, the cross-resistance pattern and the resistance mechanism of acetamiprid in this pest remain unclear. In this study, an acetamiprid-resistant strain (AC-R) was originated from a field strain (UNSEL) through successive selection with acetamiprid for 30 generations, which reached 60.0-fold resistance when compared with a laboratory susceptible strain (AC-S). The AC-R strain (G 30 ) exhibited cross-resistance to thiamethoxam (25.6-fold), nitenpyram (21.4-fold), imidacloprid (14.6-fold), cycloxaprid (11.8-fold), dinotefuran (8.7-fold), sulfoxaflor (7.6-fold) and isoprocarb (8.22-fold), while there was no cross-resistance to etofenprox, buprofezin and chlorpyrifos. Acetamiprid was synergized by the inhibitor piperonyl butoxide (2.2-fold) and the activity of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase was significantly higher in the AC-R strain compared with the AC-S strain, suggesting the critical role of P450. The gene expression results showed that the P450 gene CYP6ER1 was significantly overexpressed in AC-R compared with the AC-S and UNSEL strains. In addition, the RNA interference (RNAi) of CYP6ER1 significantly increased the susceptibility of AC-R to acetamiprid. Molecular docking predicted that acetamiprid and CYP6ER1 had close binding sites, and the nitrogen atoms had hydrogen bond interactions with CYP6ER1. These results demonstrated that the overexpression of CYP6ER1 contributed to acetamiprid resistance in N. lugens .

Aedes- borne diseases are on the rampant rise despite continued application of chemical insecticide-based interventions. The appearance of high degree of insecticide resistance in Aedes species and noxious effects on environment and non-targets have raised further concerns. Among new chemical interventions, neonicotinoids are considered a safe and effective approach. The present study investigated the control potency of acetamiprid and development of resistance in Aedes aegypti larvae; and the involvement of CYP450 monooxygenases in inducing resistance. The early fourth instars of Ae. aegypti parent susceptible strain (PS) were selected with acetamiprid for 15 generations (ACSF strain) increasing the resistance to 19.74-fold in ACSF-10 and 36.71-fold in ACSF-15. The ACSF-10 larvae were assayed with acetamiprid combined with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) in three different ratios (1:1, 1:5 and 1:10) and selected for next five generations with 1:10 combination. Selection with synergized acetamiprid (APSF strains) reversed as well as reduced the rate of resistance development resulting in only 1.35-fold resistance in APSF-15. The APSF strains showed %monooxygenase dependency ranging from 86.71 to 96.72%. The estimation of the monooxygenases levels in parent and selected larvae showed increased monooxygenase level in the ACSF strains by 2.42-2.87-fold. The APSF-15 strains exhibited 57.95% lower enzyme production than ACSF-15 strain. The reduction and reversion of resistance by using PBO and the elevated levels of monooxygenases in ACSF and reduction in APSF strains recommend the involvement of CYP450-mediated mechanism in the development of acetamiprid resistance in Ae. aegypti . These studies could help in devising resistance management strategies in order to preserve the efficiency of pre-existing insecticides.

Background: Toxicology studies suggest that neonicotinoids may be associated with adiposity development via thyroid hormone disruption and increased oxidative stress. Prior epidemiological studies report mixed results for the association between neonicotinoids and adiposity measures., Objective: To examine the association between detectable concentrations of parent neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, acetamiprid, clothianidin) and neonicotinoid metabolites (5-hydroxy-imidacloprid, N-desmethyl-acetamiprid) with adiposity measures among US adults, and whether sex modifies the associations for neonicotinoid metabolites with adiposity., Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2016 data was utilized to estimate covariate-adjusted associations between detectable neonicotinoids and fat mass index (FMI), lean mass index (LMI), waist circumference, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI) using multiple linear regression. We estimated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for overweight or obese status with detectable neonicotinoid concentrations using Poisson's modified regression. Sampling strategies were accounted for in the regression models., Results: Detectable levels of acetamiprid were associated with a decrease in FMI (β = -3.17 kg/m 2 , 95% CI [-4.79, -1.54]), LMI (β = -3.17 kg/m 2 , 95% CI [-5.17, -1.17]), body fat percentage (β = -4.41, 95% CI [-8.20, -0.62]), waist circumference (β = -9.80 cm, 95% CI [-19.08, -0.51]), and BMI (β = -3.88kg/m 2 , 95% CI [-7.25, -0.51]) among adults. In contrast, detectable levels of 5-hydroxy-imidacloprid were associated with greater rates of being overweight/obese (IRR = 1.11, 95% CI [1.04, 1.18)) and increased LMI (β = 0.67 kg/m 2 , 95% CI [0.04, 1.29]). Sex modified the association between N-desmethyl-acetamiprid and LMI (p int  = 0.075) with a positive association among males (β = 1.14 kg/m 2 , 95% CI [0.38, 1.90]), and an insignificant inverse association in females. Sex also modified the association for N-desmethyl-acetamiprid with FMI (p int  = 0.095) and body fat percentage (p int  = 0.072), with suggestive evidence showing positive associations for males and inverse associations for females., Conclusion: Detectable concentrations of acetamiprid were inversely associated with adiposity, while there were mixed findings for 5-hydroxy-imidacloprid. Findings suggest sex differences, though results are not clear with regard to the directionality of the association by sex., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This study was conducted in response to the current situation in our country in which neonicotinoid pesticides (NNIs) are used in large quantities and their concentration in surface water is gradually increasing. Based on the species sensitivity distribution (SSD), the hazard quotient (HQ) and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) were used to compare single and mixture risks of NNIs in the surface water in China. The target and recommended values of NNIs in China's surface water quality supervision were also presented. The results showed that:① in the single acute hazard assessment, imidacloprid (IMI) was the most harmful insecticide, and in the single chronic hazard assessment, imidacloprid (IMI) and acetamiprid (ACE) were more harmful. Furthermore, insects were the most sensitive creatures. ② Hainan province was the region with the highest single acute and chronic hazard in the study area. ③ Based on the joint probability curves of five neonicotinoids, the probability in which 5% of species would be affected by long-term exposure was approximately 91.12%. Thus, the combined ecological risk of these five neonicotinoids cannot be ignored. ④ Based on the toxicity reference value from SSD and the combined results of HQ and PRA, the regulatory values of surface water quality in China were as follows:acetamiprid (ACE) 0.04 μg·L -1 , clothianidin (CLO) 0.22 μg·L -1 , imidacloprid (IMI) 0.01 μg·L -1 , thiacloprid (THI) 0.03 μg·L -1 , and thiamethoxam (THIA) 0.24 μg·L -1 . In short, the concentration of NNIs in the surface water in China has threatened the safety of aquatic organisms, and its supervision must be improved.

Acetamiprid is a member of neonicotinoid insecticides with a low risk of toxicity in humans. However, ingestion of large amounts may cause severe poisoning. This is the first case reported in the literature in which severe toxicity and death occurred after acetamiprid ingestion. A 57-year-old male patient consumed 50g/250mL of an insecticide formulation containing acetamiprid for suicidal purposes. The ambulance team performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the patient who had a cardiac arrest. His heart beat returned after a 15-min cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and afterward, he had tachycardia, hypotension, respiratory failure, high gap metabolic acidosis with a high lactate, hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, mydriasis, and coma. The patient underwent supportive treatment for a variety of symptoms. However, he died despite all supportive treatment. This case demonstrates that ingestion of large amounts of the acetamiprid and late presentation can be fatal despite all supportive care., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)

We searched for five neonicotenoids (namely acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam) in 67 samples of fruits, leaves, pollen and honey via HPLC-MS by employing QueChERs for extraction and purification. Clothianidin was never detected, while imidacloprid was identified in apple (9.2 µg/kg) and pollen (18-28 µg/Kg), thiacloprid in peaches (21-35 µg/kg) and acetamiprid was identified in the hazel leaves (1266 µg/kg), honey (13-26 µg /Kg) and pollen (11-24 µg/kg). Since the levels found of acetamiprid in hazel, honey and pollen were concerning, we accomplished a study to identify and characterize the possible transformation products via a laboratory simulation. The methodology exploited the analysis by HPLC-HRMS and its application in all matrices. We identify twelve transformation products, whose formation involved dimerization, hydroxylation, oxidation, demethylation and cleavage of the molecule. Three of them were also detected in hazel leaves., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides commonly used for pest control in agriculture and veterinary applications. Due to their widespread use, neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) are found in different environmental compartments, including water, soils, and biota, in which their high toxicity towards non-target organisms is a matter of great concern. Given their widespread use and high toxicity, the development of strategies to remove neonics, while avoiding further environmental contamination is of high priority. In this work, ionic-liquid-based materials, comprising silica modified with tetraalkylammonium cations and the chloride anion, were explored as alternative adsorbent materials to remove four neonics insecticides, namely imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam, from aqueous media. These materials or supported ionic liquids (SILs) were first synthesized and chemically characterized and further applied in adsorption studies. It was found that the equilibrium concentration of the adsorbate in the solid phase decreases with the decrease in the SIL cation alkyl chain length, reinforcing the relevance of hydrophobic interactions between ionic liquids (ILs) and insecticides. The best-identified SIL for the adsorption of the studied insecticides corresponds to silica modified with propyltrioctylammonium chloride ([Si][N3888]Cl). The saturation of SILs was reached in 5 min or less, showing their fast adsorption rate towards all insecticides, in contrast with activated carbon (benchmark) that requires 40 to 60 min. The best fitting of the experimental kinetic data was achieved with the Pseudo Second-Order model, meaning that the adsorption process is controlled at the solid-liquid interface. On the other hand, the best fitting of the experimental isotherm data is given by the Freundlich isotherm model, revealing that multiple layers of insecticides onto the SIL surface may occur. The continuous removal efficiency of the best SIL ([Si][N3888]Cl) by solid-phase extraction was finally appraised, with the maximum adsorption capacity decreasing in the following sequence: imidacloprid > thiacloprid > thiamethoxam > acetamiprid. Based on real reported values, under ideal conditions, 1 g of [Si][N3888]Cl is able to treat at least 106 m3 of wastewater and water from wetland contaminated with the studied neonics. In summary, the enhanced adsorption capacity of SILs for a broad diversity of neonics was demonstrated, reinforcing the usefulness of these materials for their removal from aqueous matrices and thus contributing to preventing their introduction into the ecosystems and reducing their detrimental effects in the environment and human health.

The present study was conducted to investigate the residue status of two insecticides (acetamiprid and buprofezin) and their dissipation kinetics in three matrices viz. paddy grain, straw, and soil. The extraction procedure for residues of these two insecticides was executed using acetonitrile solvent. The analytical method was validated, which showed good linearity with the limit of quantification (LOQ) value of 0.01 and 0.02 mg kg -1 for acetamiprid and buprofezin, respectively. The recovery range was 79.67-98.33 % concerning all the matrices in both the insecticides. Acetamiprid (20% SP) and Buprofezin (25% SC) were applied separately in the paddy field in two doses: single dose (recommended dose) and double dose along with untreated control throughout the experiment. Residue analysis of these two insecticides in paddy (grain and straw) and soil was accomplished employing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detector and confirmed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The dissipation data showed that acetamiprid exhibited higher dissipation in comparison with buprofezin. However, their persistence was found slightly higher in soil. The dissipation dynamics in the rice and soil were discussed with biological half-lives of both the insecticides. Consumer risk assessment study was also made considering its fate to the consumers., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In the present study, we developed a disposable aptamer-based biosensor for rapid, sensitive, and reliable detection of acetamiprid (ACE). To improve the sensitivity of the aptasensor, poly-5-amino-2-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole [P(AMT)] and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were progressively electrodeposited on the screen-printed electrode (SPE) surface by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. For the determination of ACE, thiol-modified primary aptamer (Apt1) was selected by using the SELEX method and immobilized on the surface of the P(AMT) and AuNPs-modified SPE (SPE/P(AMT)/AuNPs) via AuS bonding. Then, the surface-bound aptamer was incubated with ACE for 45 Min. After that, the biotin-labeled aptamer 2 (Apt2) was interacted with the ACE, then the enzyme-labeled step was performed. In this step, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was bound to the surface through the interaction between Apt2 labeled with biotin and streptavidin (strep)-ALP conjugate. The determination of ACE was achieved by measuring the oxidation signal of α-naphthol, which is formed on the electrode surface through the interaction of ALP with α-naphthyl phosphate. The working range of the developed aptasensor was determined as 5 × 10 -12 -5 × 10 -10  mol L -1 with a low limit of detection (1.5 pmol L -1 ). It was also found that the proposed aptasensor possessed great advantages such as low cost, good selectivity, and good reproducibility., (© 2020 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.)

Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used for pest control. However, they are highly water-soluble and easily ingested by organisms, posing potential health risks. In this study, cytotoxicity evaluations of imidacloprid and acetamiprid were conducted in Neuro-2a cells by obtaining their half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 values) (1152.1 and 936.5 μM, respectively). The toxic effects at the IC 10 and IC 20 on cell metabolism were determined by integrated non-targeted lipidomics and metabolomics analyses. Changes in the concentration of acetamiprid caused the most drastic perturbations of metabolism in Neuro-2a cells. Altogether, the detected lipids were mainly attributed to triglyceride, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and diglyceride. These three categories of lipids accounted for more than 67% of the sum in Neuro-2a cells. A total of 14 lipids and other 40 metabolites were screened as differential metabolites based on multivariate data analysis, and PCs were most frequently observed with a proportion of 25.9%. The results demonstrated that lipid metabolism should be paid considerable attention after imidacloprid and acetamiprid exposure. Pathway analysis showed that the metabolisms of glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, and glutathione were the dominant pathways that were interfered. The present study is the first to investigate the cellular toxic mechanisms after separate imidacloprid and acetamiprid exposure by using lipidomics and metabolomics simultaneously. This research also provides novel insights into the evaluation of the ecological risk of imidacloprid and acetamiprid and contribute to the study of toxicity mechanism of these neonicotinoid insecticides to animals and humans in the future., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pesticide residue and its poor utilization remains problematic in agricultural development. To address the issue, a nano-pesticide has been developed by incorporating pesticide acetamiprid in porous silica nanoparticles., Results: This nano-pesticide had an acetamiprid loading content of 354.01 mg g -1 . Testing LC 50 value against tea aphids of the commercial preparation was three times that of the nano-pesticide. In tea seedlings (Camellia sinensis L.), acetamiprid was transported upward from the stem to the young leaves. On day 30, the average retained concentrations in tea leaves treated with the commercial preparation were about 1.3 times of that in the nano-pesticide preparation. The residual concentrations of dimethyl-acetamiprid in leaves for plants treated with the commercial preparation were about 1.1 times of that in the nano-pesticide preparation. Untargeted metabolomics of by LC-MS on the young leaves of tea seedlings under nano-pesticide and commercial pesticide treatments showed significant numbers of differentially expressed metabolites (P < 0.05 and VIP > 1). Between the nano-pesticide treatment group and the commercial preparation treatment group there were 196 differentially expressed metabolites 2 h after treatment, 200 (7 th day), 207 (21 st day), and 201 (30 th day) in negative ion mode, and 294 (2 nd h), 356 (7 th day), and 286 (30 th day) in positive ion mode. Preliminary identification showed that the major differentially expressed metabolites were glutamic acid, salicylic acid, p-coumaric acid, ribonic acid, glutamine, naringenin diglucoside, sanguiin H4, PG (34:2) and epiafzelechin., Conclusions: This work demonstrated that our nano-pesticide outperformed the conventional pesticide acetamiprid in terms of insecticidal activity and pesticide residue, and the absorption, transportation and metabolism of nano-pesticide in tea plant were different, which pave a new pathway for pest control in agricultural sector., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Acer 35 EC is a widely used insecticide (a binary mixture of lambda-cyhalothrin and acetamiprid) in pest control in many West African countries, particularly in the cotton culture in north Benin. The aim of this study was to investigate the chronic effects of Acer 35 EC on Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus juveniles using a multi-biomarker approach under laboratory conditions. For this purpose, fish were exposed to sublethal concentrations of Acer 35 EC (0, 1 and 10% of LC 50 - 96 h value). After 28 and 56 days of exposure, several biomarkers were measured in males and females including enzymatic activities related to detoxification and oxidative stress, neurotoxicity and immune responses, sex steroid hormones (testosterone, 17β-estradiol and 11-keto-testosterone) and histological alterations of liver, kidney and gonads. An Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) was then calculated. The results showed a reduction of cholinesterase activity in muscles, and intercellular superoxide anion production in both sexes. Female steroidogenesis and gametogenesis were affected, especially testosterone levels and oocyte growth. More alterations were observed in liver after exposure to Acer 35 EC. In both sexes, IBR values were higher after 56 days than after 28 days of exposure. In conclusion, based on a large set of biomarkers and IBR values, the chronic exposure to low doses of insecticide Acer 35 EC seems to impair different physiological functions in Nile tilapia juveniles on a time-dependent manner, with a stronger impact on females than on males., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neonicotinoid insecticides are nicotine-derived molecules which exert acute neurotoxic effects over the insect central nervous system by activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). However, these receptors are also present in the mammalian central and peripheral nervous system, where the effects of neonicotinoids are faintly known. In mammals, cholinergic synapses are crucial for the control of vascular tone, blood pressure and skeletal muscle contraction. We therefore hypothesized that neonicotinoids could affect cholinergic networks in mammals and sought to highlight functional consequences of acute intoxication in rats with sub-lethal concentrations of the highly used acetamiprid (ACE) and clothianidin (CLO). In this view, we characterized their electrophysiological effects on rat α3β4 nAChRs, knowing that it is predominantly expressed in ganglia of the vegetative nervous system and the adrenal medulla, which initiates catecholamine secretion. Both molecules exhibited a weak agonist effect on α3β4 receptors. Accordingly, their influence on epinephrine secretion from rat adrenal glands was also weak at 100 μM, but it was stronger at 500 μM. Challenging ACE or CLO together with nicotine (NIC) ended up with paradoxical effects on secretion. In addition, we measured the rat arterial blood pressure (ABP) in vivo by arterial catheterization. As expected, NIC induced a significant increase in ABP. ACE and CLO did not affect the ABP in the same conditions. However, simultaneous exposure of rats to both NIC and ACE/CLO promoted an increase of ABP and induced a biphasic response. Modeling the interaction of ACE or CLO on α3β4 nAChR is consistent with a binding site located in the agonist pocket of the receptor. We present a transversal experimental approach of mammal intoxication with neonicotinoids at different scales, including in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo and in silico. It paves the way of the acute and chronic toxicity for this class of insecticides on mammalian organisms.

The melon aphid, Aphis gossypii, is an important pest of vegetables. Insecticide resistance in A. gossypii has increased due to the frequent use of insecticides. We studied the levels and mechanisms of A. gossypii resistance to imidacloprid, acetamiprid and lambda-cyhalothrin here. The resistance levels of the three insecticides in 20 populations of A. gossypii varied. When compared to the susceptible strain (Lab-SS), there were two moderate resistance (MR) populations and nine low resistance (LR) populations to imidacloprid, respectively, two MR populations and two LR populations to acetamiprid, respectively, and, five MR populations and two LR populations to λ-cyhalothrin, respectively. Gene mutation detection in the MR level populations showed arginine to threonine substitution (R81T) in three populations and lysine to glutamine substitution (K264E) in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) β1 subunit in one population, respectively. No valine to isoleucine substitution (V62I) was found in the nAChR β1 subunit in any of the tested populations. The leucine to phenylalanine substitution (L1014F) in sodium channel α subunit was found in five MR populations. The relative expression of the CYP6CY13 gene was significantly upregulated in the Daiyue and Shenxian populations. The CYP6CY14 gene was significantly upregulated in Daiyue, Dongchangfu, Shenxian, Mengyin and Anqiu populations. The CYP6CY19 gene was significantly upregulated in the Dongchangfu and Mengyin populations. The relative expressions of the esterase E4 or FE4 genes were significantly upregulated in most of the MR populations. These results provide insight into the current insecticide resistance of A. gossypii and may contribute to more effective resistance management strategies., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Neurotoxic insecticides are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, frequently as part of complex mixtures. Freshwater gastropods are generally underrepresented in neurotoxicity evaluations and cumulative toxicity testing. This study investigates the behavioural and biochemical effects of acute exposures to the carbamate carbaryl, the organophosphate chlorpyrifos, and the neonicotinoid acetamiprid on the freshwater gastropod Chilina gibbosa. First, we evaluated behavioural neurotoxicity and cholinesterase (ChE), carboxylesterase (CE), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities in acute (48h) single-chemical exposures to increasing concentrations of carbaryl (0.5-500 μg L -1 ), chlorpyrifos (10-7500 μg L -1 ), and acetamiprid (1-10000 μg L -1 ). We then studied the effects of acute (48h) exposures to binary mixtures of carbaryl and chlorpyrifos equivalent to 0.5, 1, and 1.5 ChE 48h-IC 50 . None of the insecticides caused severe behavioural neurotoxicity, except for a significant lack of adherence by 5000 μg L -1 chlorpyrifos. Carbaryl caused concentration-dependent inhibition of ChEs (NOEC 5 μg L -1 ; 48h-IC 50 45 μg L -1 ) and CEs with p-nitrophenyl butyrate as substrate (NOEC 5 μg L -1 ; 48h-IC 50 37 μg L -1 ). Chlorpyrifos caused concentration-dependent inhibition of ChEs (NOEC 50 μg L -1 ; 48h-IC 50 946 μg L -1 ) but did not affect CEs (NOEC ≥7500 μg L -1 ). Carbaryl-chlorpyrifos mixtures inhibited ChEs additively, inhibited CEs with p-nitrophenyl butyrate, and did not affect behaviour. GST activity was not affected by single or mixture exposures. Acute exposure to acetamiprid did not affect any of the endpoints evaluated. This study provides new information on carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, and acetamiprid toxicity on C. gibbosa, relevant to improve gastropod representation in ecotoxicological risk assessment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neonicotinoids are widely used to control insect pests in agriculture. Their presence in the environment can affect the health of non-target insects and aquatic animals. The behaviour of four neonicotinoids, namely imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam, has been investigated in soils with contrasting characteristics to understand their migration in soil and ecological risk. Among the study neonicotinoids, thiamethoxam and thiacloprid were found to be the least and most sorbed neonicotinoids by all the soils, respectively (up to 186 time greater adsorption of thiacloprid), and their uptake was affected by the content of organic matter in the soil. Leaching studies in columns confirmed that thiamethoxam leached out of the soils readily, pointing out to a relatively high risk of ground water contamination with possible ecological impact when thiamethoxam is used in soils with low organic matter. In soil column studies, the soil with the lowest organic matter presents the greatest residue of neonicotinoids in the sub-surface (≤5 cm). In contrast the soil richer in organic matter presented most of the contamination deeper down in the column; a factor to be considered in the remediation from soil., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), is one of the major insect pests of cole crops in Iran. In most instances outbreaks are normally kept under control by application of insecticides. In this study, the sublethal effects (LC30) of three insecticides, acetamiprid, buprofezin, and thiamethoxam-lambda cyhalothrin, (TLC) were evaluated on the population growth rate of the progeny of insecticide-treated cabbage aphid adults. The age-stage, two-sex life table method was used to analyze the collected data. The results indicated that the insecticide applications affected the duration of the preadult period, their survival, reproduction, life span/longevity, and consequently, the population growth rate of the F1 generation. The indicators of the greatest sublethal effects were noted in the progeny of the TLC-treated adults. These included the lowest net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and the longest mean generation time (T). The highest values of r, λ, R, and the lowest value of T occurred in the control group followed by, in order, the acetamiprid and buprofezin groups. These research findings will be useful in the development and implementation of future aphid management programs., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The predatory bug Orius sauteri (Poppius) is currently one of the most important beneficial arthropods in Northeast Asia and used as a biological control agent of several small pest arthropods including Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). Two neonicotinoid chemical insecticides, acetamiprid and imidacloprid, mainly used in China as chemical control on F. occidentalis, although applied at sublethal concentrations in the field or greenhouse to protect beneficial arthropods, still may affect the predator O. sauteri. The objective of present work is to assess the long-term effects of 24-h exposure time to these two insecticides on the life-cycle of O. sauteri at application rates similar to the laboratory 24-h LC 10, LC 20 and LC 30 of O. sauteri. Results showed that acetamiprid and imidacloprid at all tested concentrations significantly decreased the fecundity of O. sauteri females, while the effect of acetamiprid was higher than that of imidacloprid. Moreover, the oviposition period and longevity of O. sauteri to both insecticides shortened. The sublethal effects on the first progeny (F1 generation) were also found to increase nymphal mortality, shorten adult longevity and reduce fecundity. However, all treatments of acetamiprid and imidacloprid at the concentration of LC 10 , LC 20 and LC 30 caused no significant effect on the developmental time of different nymphal stages and sex ratio of the F1 generation. This paper is the first one that assesses the compatibility between neonicotinoid insecticides and O. sauteri, and shows that the application of acetamiprid and imidacloprid likely interferes with the population dynamic of O. sauteri., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bombyx mori is an important economic insect. However, the environmental pollution caused by the widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides has significantly affected the safe production of sericulture. In this paper, we determined the LC 50 of acetamiprid, a kind of neonicotinoid insecticides, to 5th instar silkworm larvae, examined its residues in hemolymph and midgut of silkworm after continuous exposure to low-dose of acetamiprid, and investigated the transcription level of detoxifying-related genes and the activity of detoxifying enzymes. The results showed that acetamiprid was highly toxic (24-h LC 50 , 1.50 mg/L) to silkworm larvae. After continuous exposure to low-dose of acetamiprid (0.15 mg/L), the acetamiprid residue concentrations in hemolymph and midgut were 0.90 and 0.58 μg/mg, respectively, at 48 h, but all decreased at 96 h. At 24 h of acetamiprid exposure, the transcription levels of CYP4M5 and CYP6AB4 and the P450 enzyme activity were significantly enhanced. However, the transcription levels of CarE and CarE-11 and the activity of CarE enzymes were both inhibited by acetamiprid exposure. After 24 h-72 h of acetamiprid exposure, the transcription levels of GSTe3 and GSTd1 were significantly up-regulated, and the GST enzyme activity was also significantly elevated from 48 h to 96 h. Furthermore, the expression levels of FoxO, CncC and Keap1, the key upstream genes of detoxification enzymes, showed a similar trend as the GST genes. These results indicated that acetamiprid was reduced in midgut and the expression of GSTs was upregulated may via FoxO/CncC/Keap1 signaling pathway, which plays a key role in detoxification responses., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Providing an alternative to pyrethroids, organophosphates, and carbamates, the neonicotinoids are now the most widely used insecticides in the world. They are water soluble and relatively stable in soil and water which allows for run-off through surface waters and thus potentially impacting aquatic species and environments.While the mammalian metabolism of neonicotinoids has been studied extensively, there is a lack of understanding of their metabolism in fish species. The current study constitutes the first report of the metabolism of imidacloprid (IMI) and acetamiprid (AC) in rainbow trout.Formation of respective metabolites 5-hydroxy-imidacloprid and N-desmethyl-acetamiprid was conserved across orders of biological organization in both microsomal and liver slice assays.Michaelis-Menten kinetics were determined for the microsomal conversion of IMI to 5-hydroxy-imidacloprid in rainbow trout (Km = 79.2 µM; Vmax = 0.75 pmole/min/mg) and rat (Km = 158.7 µM; Vmax = 38.4 pmole/min/mg). Kinetics for the microsomal demethylation of AC to N-desmethyl-acetamiprid were determined in the rat (Km = 70.9 µM; Vmax = 10 pmoles/min/mg). N-desmethyl-acetamiprid was found in detectable but below quantifiable levels across the range of test concentrations which precluded a calculation of kinetic rate constants in rainbow trout (RBT).Ultimately, the formation of the metabolites 5-hydroxy-imidacloprid and N-desmethyl-acetamiprid was conserved across RBT and rat species.

Acetamiprid is a neonicotinoid pesticide, which is extensively used on agricultural crops, but has a high toxic effect on beneficial insects and the human body. It is exposed to sunlight irradiation on crops but also in surface waters where it is found at a high level due to its resistance to common water treatments. The aim of the present work was to study the UV-visible photodegradation of acetamiprid, alone and in two marketed mixtures (Polysect Ultra SL® and Roseclear Ultra®). Ten photoproducts were characterized using LC-HR-MS/MS analysis. Photodegradation pathways were proposed based on the chemical structures of photoproducts and kinetic measurements; a matrix effect has been evidenced for commercial mixtures. Most photoproducts exhibit potential developmental toxicity twice higher than that of the parent compound. Regarding potential mutagenicity, all photoproducts are less toxic than acetamiprid. Estimated oral rat LD50 values show that the potential toxicities of photoproducts are similar or lower than that of acetamiprid. In vitro tests on Vibrio fischeri bacteria showed that the ecotoxicities of marketed mixtures are significantly higher than that of acetamiprid in aqueous solution; they slightly increase after UV-light exposure., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acetamiprid, a chloronicotinyl neonicotinoid insecticide, is among the most commonly used insecticides worldwide, and its environmental fate has caused considerable concern. The compound 1-(6-chloropyridin-3-yl)- N -methylmethanamine (IM 1-4) has been reported to be the main intermediate during acetamiprid catabolism in microorganisms, honeybees, and spinach. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the hydrolysis of acetamiprid to IM 1-4 has not yet been elucidated. In this study, a novel amidase (AceAB) that initially hydrolyzes the C-N bond of acetamiprid to generate IM 1-4 was purified and characterized from the acetamiprid-degrading strain Pigmentiphaga sp. strain D-2. Based on peptide profiling of the purified AceAB and the draft genome sequence of strain D-2, aceA (372 bp) and aceB (2,295 bp), encoding the α and β subunits of AceAB, respectively, were cloned and found to be necessary for acetamiprid hydrolysis in strain D-2. The characteristics of AceAB were also systematically investigated. Though AceA and AceB showed 35% to 56% identity to the α and β subunits of the N , N -dimethylformamidase from Paracoccus aminophilus , AceAB was specific for the hydrolysis of acetamiprid and showed no activities to N,N -dimethylformamide or its structural analogs. IMPORTANCE Acetamiprid, among the top neonicotinoid insecticides used worldwide, is one of the most important commercial insecticides. Due to its extensive use, the environmental fate of acetamiprid, especially its microbial degradation, has caused considerable concern. Although the catabolic pathways of acetamiprid in microorganisms have been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms underlying acetamiprid biodegradation (except for a nitrile hydratase) remain largely unknown, and the enzyme responsible for the biotransformation of acetamiprid into its main intermediate, IM 1-4, have not yet been elucidated. The amidase AceAB and its encoding genes, aceA and aceB , characterized in this study, were found to be necessary and specific for the initial hydrolysis of the C-N bond of acetamiprid to generate IM 1-4 in Pigmentiphaga sp. strain D-2. The finding of the novel amidase AceAB will greatly enhance our understanding of the microbial catabolism of the widely used insecticide acetamiprid at the molecular level., (Copyright © 2020 American Society for Microbiology.)

This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of Panax ginseng aqueous extract (GAE) against hepatorenal toxicity induced by lambda-cyhalothrin-acetamiprid insecticide mixture in rats. A total of 32 male albino rats were assigned into four groups. Normal control group received distilled water. Insecticide control group intoxicated with the insecticide at a dose of 2.14 mg/kg b.wt orally day after day for 45 days. GAE control group was treated with GAE at a dose 200 mg/kg b.wt orally. GAE experimental group was administered GAE 1 hour before insecticide administration. Intoxication of rats with the insecticide caused a significant increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities and urea and creatinine levels as well as malondialdehyde concentration and proteins expression of caspase-3 and induced nitric oxide synthase in hepatic and renal tissues. However, it decreased the serum levels of total protein and globulin and reduced the glutathione content and catalase activity in hepatic and renal tissues. In addition, insecticide induced histopathological alterations in both hepatic and renal tissues. In contrast, GAE modulated insecticide-induced alterations in liver and kidney functions and structures as it ameliorated the effects of insecticide on the above mentioned parameters. These results indicated that GAE was a potent antioxidant agent that could protect rats against insecticide-induced hepatorenal toxicity., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Acetamiprid (ATP) is a neonicotinoid widely used in agriculture, which is less toxic to honeybees and is transported into the hives via the contaminated nectar and pollen as well as physical contact. Although ATP degrades in animal systems mainly through N -desmethylacetamiprid (IM-2-1), it is degraded in honey of different origins mainly through (E)- N 2 - carbamoyl-)- N 1 - [6-chloro-3-pyridyl)methyl])- N 1 - methylacetamidine (IM-1-2). The decomposition of ATP in honey has been followed for storage times up to 180 days at 20°C, 30°C and 40°C to represent geographical regions with different temperatures. Subsequent degradation of IM-1-2 occurred and IM-1-4 was detected as a degradation product of IM-1-2. The apparent decomposition rate constants and half-lives of ATP in honey were determined. ATP degradation to IM-1-2 was faster in honey than the rates observed in aqueous solutions of pH 3.0-5.0. In order to follow actual ATP contamination in honey, IM-1-2 analysis is proposed to be carried out instead of the analyses of ATP and IM-2-1 for safety determination to ensure application of Good Agricultural Practice and to maintain a healthy environment.

A novel label-free electrochemical aptasensor was fabricated based on a three-dimensional porous electrode (3D-CS/rGO/GCE) for the detection of acetamiprid residues. The sensing signal was generated by the DNA itself. The porous electrode was prepared by electrodeposition in situ and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). These results indicated that the porous electrode has a uniform nanoporous structure, high active area, and excellent conductivity, leading to improve the transmission efficiency of current signals. The 3D-CS/rGO/GCE was used to increase a load of acetamiprid aptamer on the electrode. Meanwhile, DNA self-assembly strategy was used to further increase the DNA amounts. Thus the electrochemical current was amplified significantly due to increased phosphate group amounts by the above synergistic effect. The determination of acetamiprid residues using square wave voltammetry (SWV) showed good sensitivity, with the linear range from 0.1 pM to 0.1 μM and the detection limit was 71.2 fM. The label-free electrochemical aptasensor was also used to detect acetamiprid residues in tea samples with satisfactory results., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The uptake, distribution, metabolism, and degradation of three neonicotinoid insecticides (NIs)-imidacloprid (IMI), acetamiprid (ACE), and thiamethoxam (THI) in different parts of cotton plants were investigated under field conditions. Insecticides were either applied by foliar spraying or root irrigation. Foliar application resulted in high tissue concentration (average tissue concentration ratio, TCR: 46.78-68.61% for leaves and 12.2-31.40% for flowers). The flowers showed high NI residual. The metabolism and trends of NIs in different parts of cotton were reported here for the first time. Metabolites, toxic to bees, were detected in the flowers. The translocation factor was around 0.004 for the spray treatment and 0.2-0.7 for the root irrigation treatment. The average root concentration factors of IMI, ACE, and THI were 0.838, 8.027, and 1.014, respectively, indicating that the three NIs can be transported from the soil to the plant. The high concentrations of NIs and their metabolites in flowers indicate exposure risk to pollinators, such as bees.

Farmland bird species are particularly exposed to pesticides through various pathways. Among pesticides, neonicotinoids insecticides are commonly used in agriculture, but their influence on bird reproductive capacities is poorly understood. In this study, we experimentally tested the effects of the neonicotinoid acetamiprid on House sparrows' sperm quality and oxidative status following ingestion of a low and field-realistic dose of the compound. To do so, 56 males were captured, held and orally dosed seven times over 19 days of experiment with either a saline solution (control) or an acetamiprid-saline solution, and sperm samples were retrieved before and after the experiment. The overall dose given to the birds corresponded to 0.5% of the LD 50 for the Zebra finch (5.7 mg/kg BW) spread into 7 separate doses and administered every three days over the entire duration of the study (ca. 0.07% LD 50 per oral dose). Sperm mobility and sperm oxidative status were unaffected by the treatment, but sperm density was. Birds that received oral doses of acetamiprid suffered a significant decline in their sperm density compared to control birds. This result was confirmed by a significant decrease in the activity of the antioxidant enzyme SOD in the sperm of acetamiprid-dosed birds. These results provide the first evidence of sublethal toxicity of acetamiprid in a songbird and suggest that passerine birds' fertility may be negatively affected by very small doses of neonicotinoids in the wild., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)