Genotoxicity of mixture of imidacloprid, imazalil and tebuconazole

Nataliya A Ilyushina; Olga V Egorova; Gleb V Masaltsev; Nataliya S Averianova; Yulia A Revazova; Valerii N Rakitskii; Marina Goumenou; Alexander Vardavas; Polychronis Stivaktakis; Aristidis Tsatsakis

doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.08.021

Genotoxicity of mixture of imidacloprid, imazalil and tebuconazole

Toxicol Rep. 2020 Aug 30:7:1090-1094. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.08.021. eCollection 2020.

Affiliations

¹ The Federal Budgetary Establishment of Science "Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene named after F. F. Erisman" of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, 2 Semashko street, Mytishchi, Moscow Region, 141014, Russian Federation.
² Centre of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.

Abstract

Genotoxicity of the mixture of generic pesticides imidacloprid + imazalil + tebuconazole in a ratio of 14.0/1.7/1.0 by weight was assessed using Ames test (Salmonella typhimurium) and micronucleus test in vivo on mammalian bone marrow erythrocytes (CD-1 mice) supporting the data creation for the Real Life Risk Simulation (RLRS) approach. This pesticides' combination is used in the commercial formulation for seed treatment in advance of or immediately before sowing. Tested pesticides' technical grade active ingredients (TGAIs) showed no evidence of genotoxicity upon separate treatments. In combination, the three pesticides demonstrated negative results in the Ames test but induced a statistically significant, dose-depended increase in MN-PCEs in mice bone marrow at doses lower than those used separately. The observed effect may be mediated by the synergistic action of the tested TGAIs, their metabolites or impurities.

Keywords: CI, confidence interval of the mean; Genotoxicity; Imazalil; Imidacloprid; MN, micronucleated; NCE, normochromatic erythrocyte; PCE, polychromatic erythrocyte; Pesticide mixture; RLRS; RLRS, Real Life Risk Simulation; TGAIs, technical grade active ingredients; Tebuconazole.