In vitro screening of 65 mycotoxins for insecticidal potential

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 18;16(3):e0248772. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248772. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The economic losses and threats to human and animal health caused by insects and the pathogens transmitted by them require effective and environmentally-friendly methods of controlling them. One such group of natural biocontrol agents which may be used as biopesticides is that of the entomopathogenic fungi and their toxic secondary metabolites (mycotoxins). The present in vitro work examined the insecticidal potential of 65 commercially-available mycotoxins against the insect Sf-9 cell line. Mammalian Caco-2 and THP-1 cell lines served as reference controls to select insecticidal mycotoxins harmless to mammalian cells. All tested mycotoxins significantly reduced the in vitro proliferation of the Sf-9 cells and evoked morphological changes. Ten of the mycotoxins found to strongly inhibit Sf-9 proliferation also had moderate or no effect on Caco-2 cells. The THP-1 cells were highly resistant to the tested mycotoxins: doses 103 times higher were needed to affect viability and morphology (1 μg/ml for THP-1 versus 1 ng/ml for Sf-9 and Caco-2). Nine mycotoxins significantly decreased Sf-9 cell proliferation with minor effects on mammalian cells: cyclosporins B and D, cytochalasin E, gliotoxin, HC toxin, paxilline, penitrem A, stachybotrylactam and verruculogen. These may be good candidates for future biopesticide formulations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caco-2 Cells
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Shape / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Insecticides / toxicity*
  • Mycotoxins / analysis*
  • Mycotoxins / toxicity*
  • Sf9 Cells
  • THP-1 Cells

Substances

  • Insecticides
  • Mycotoxins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Marshal’s Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship grant RPMA.01.02.00-14-5626/16 awarded to commercial company BIOMIBO. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors MB-S and MIB but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the author contributions section.