Difenoconazole is a widely used triazole fungicide and has been reported to have negative impacts on zebrafish embryos. To investigate the mechanism of its developmental toxicity, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0.5 and 2.0 mg/L difenoconazole for 96 h. The morphological and physiological indicators of embryo development were tested. The total cholesterol (TCHO) level, triglyceride (TG) level and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were measured at 96 hpf (hours post-fertilization). In addition, the transcription of genes related to embryo development, the antioxidant system, lipid synthesis and metabolism was quantified. Our results showed that a large suite of symptoms were induced by difenoconazole, including hatching regression, heart rate decrease, growth inhibition and teratogenic effects. 0.5 mg/L difenoconazole could significantly increase the TG content of zebrafish embryos at 96 hpf, while no apparent change in the TCHO and MDA level was observed post 96 h exposure. Q-PCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) results showed that the transcription of genes related to embryonic development was decreased after exposure. Genes related to hatching, retinoic acid metabolism and lipid homeostasis were up-regulated by difenoconazole.

The roles of protein and lipid in the accumulation and distribution of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in seven species of plants from biosolids-amended soils were investigated. The PFOS and PFOA root concentration factors (Croot/Csoil) ranged from 1.37 to 4.68 and 1.69 to 10.3 (ng/groot)/(ng/gsoil), respectively, while the translocation factors (Cshoot/Croot) ranged from 0.055 to 0.16 and 0.093 to 1.8 (ng/gshoot)/(ng/groot), respectively. The PFOS and PFOA accumulations in roots correlated positively with root protein contents (P < 0.05), while negatively with root lipid contents (P < 0.05). These suggested the promotion effects of protein and inhibition effects of lipid on root uptake. The translocation factors correlated positively with the ratios between protein contents in shoots to those in roots (P < 0.05), showing the importance of protein on PFOS and PFOA translocation. This study is the first to reveal the different roles of protein and lipid in the accumulation and distribution of PFOS and PFOA in plants.

International audience | Apple orchards are heavily treated crops and some sprayed insecticides are recognized to have toxic effects on non-target arthropods. Earwigs are important natural enemies in pip-fruit orchards and contribute to the biological control of aphids. In addition, due to their ease of capture and identification, they are an interesting potential bioindicator of the possible detrimental effects of different orchard management strategies. In this study, we measured the energy reserves and some morphological traits of Forficula auricularia L. sampled in apple orchards under management strategies (organic versus integrated pest management (IPM)). We observed a significant decrease in mass (22 to 27%), inter-eye width (3%), and prothorax width (2 to 5%) in earwigs from IPM compared to organic orchards. Energy body reserves also confirmed these results with a significant decrease of 48% in glycogen and 25 to 42% in lipid content in earwigs from IPM compared to organic orchards. However, the protein content was approximately 70% higher in earwigs from IPM than in organic orchards. Earwigs sampled in IPM orchards may adapt to minimize the adverse toxic effects of pesticide treatments using a large number of strategies, which are reflected in changes to their energy reserves. These strategies could, in turn, influence the population dynamics of natural enemies and impair their role in the biological control of pests in apple orchards.

The bioaccumulation of organochlorines (OCs) in the muscle tissue of sea-run (anadromous) and freshwater-resident (fluvial) white-spotted charr (Salvelinus leucomaenis) was determined to assess the ecological risk related to intraspecies variations in diadromous fish life history as they migrate between sea and freshwater. Generally, there were significant correlations between the accumulation of OCs such as DDTs, HCB, HCHs and CHLs. In addition, various biological characteristics, such as total length (TL), body weight (BW) and age, and number of downstream migration (NDM) were correlated. A positive correlation occurred between the lipid content and the OC concentrations. Close linear relationships were found between TL, BW and NDM and the lipid content. Although they are both the same species, the OCs concentrations in the anadromous fish were significantly higher than those in the fluvial individuals. These results suggest that anadromous S. leucomaenis have a higher ecological risk for OCs exposure than the fluvial fish.