Effects of exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin on mouse intestinal microbiota under unpredictable environmental stress.

Recent research has demonstrated the toxicity of neonicotinoid pesticides (NNs) in mammals through their interaction with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). These effects are reported to extend to the intestinal microbiota as well. In addition, environmental stress affects the expression of nAChRs, which may alter sensitivity to NNs. In this study, we analyzed the intestinal microbiota of mice exposed to clothianidin (CLO), a type of NN, under environmental stress, and aimed to clarify the effects of such combined exposure on the intestinal microbiota. C57BL/6N male mice (9 weeks old) were subchronically administered a no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) CLO-mixed rehydration gel for 29 days and simultaneously subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). After the administration period, cecum contents were collected and analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing for intestinal microbiota. CLO exposure alone resulted in alterations in the relative abundance of Alistipes and ASF356, which produce short-chain fatty acids. The addition of CUMS amplified these changes. On the other hand, CLO alone did not affect the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, but the abundance decreased when CUMS was added. This study revealed that the combined exposure to CLO and stress not only amplifies their individual effects on intestinal microbiota but also demonstrates combined and multifaceted toxicities.

Effects of exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin on α-defensin secretion and gut microbiota in mice.

The mechanism by which the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin (CLO) disrupts the intestinal microbiota of experimental animals is unknown. We focused on α-defensins, which are regulators of the intestinal microbiota. Subchronic exposure to CLO induced dysbiosis and reduced short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria in the intestinal microbiota of mice. Levels of cryptdin-1 (Crp1, a major α-defensin in mice) in feces and cecal contents were lower in the CLO-exposed groups than in control. In Crp1 immunostaining, Paneth cells in the jejunum and ileum of the no-observed-adverse-effect-level CLO-exposed group showed a stronger positive signal than control, likely due to the suppression of Crp1 release. Our results showed that CLO exposure suppresses α-defensin secretion from Paneth cells as part of the mechanism underlying CLO-induced dysbiosis.

No-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) clothianidin, a neonicotinoid pesticide, impairs hippocampal memory and motor learning associated with alteration of gene expression in cerebellum.

Neonicotinoid pesticides (NNs) have been associated with numerous neurobehavioral effects in rodents, raising concerns about their impact on cognitive function. Clothianidin (CLO), a type of NN, was orally administered to male mice (10 weeks old, C57BL/6N) at the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 50 mg/kg/day as indicated in the pesticide risk assessment report. Behavioral tests (novel location recognition and rotarod tests) evaluated hippocampal memory and cerebellar motor learning. After each test, plasma monoamines (3-methoxytyramine, histamine, serotonin, tryptamine) were measured by LC-ESI/MS/MS (Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry), and cerebellar mRNA expression was quantified by microarray and qRT-PCR analyses. The NOAEL of CLO was found to impair hippocampal memory, leading to decreased spontaneous locomotor activity and motor function. We reported, for the first time, multiple alterations of gene expression in the cerebellum associated with motor dysfunction.

Effect of clothianidin exposure at the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis.

The effects of exposure to clothianidin (CLO), a neonicotinoid pesticide (NN), on the thymus and intestinal microbiota were recently revealed. Immune cells express nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), an NN target, suggesting CLO may disrupt the immune system. However, the relationship between CLO and atopic dermatitis (AD) is unknown. We administered a no-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) dose of CLO to male NC/Nga mice with induced AD and measured, at three time points, key AD symptom indicators: epidermal thickening, mast cell number, total plasma IgE, and histamine levels. CLO increased total plasma IgE levels but reduced epidermal thickening, mast cell number, and plasma histamine levels in the early stages of AD. This demonstrates for the first time that CLO exposure inhibits AD's early symptoms.

Neurotoxicity and behavioral disorders induced in mice by acute exposure to the diamide insecticide chlorantraniliprole.

Diamide insecticides activate ryanodine receptors expressed in lepidopteran skeletal muscle and promote Ca2+ release in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, causing abnormal contractions and paralysis, leading to death of the pest. Although they had been thought not to act on nontarget organisms, including mammals, adverse effects on vertebrates were recently reported, raising concerns about their safety in humans. We investigated the neurotoxicity of the acute no-observed-adverse-effect level of chlorantraniliprole (CAP), a diamide insecticide, in mice using clothianidin (CLO), a neonicotinoid insecticide, as a positive control. The CLO-administered group showed decreased locomotor activities, increased anxiety-like behaviors, and abnormal human-audible vocalizations, while the CAP-administered group showed anxiety-like behaviors but no change in locomotor activities. The CAP-administered group had greater numbers of c-fos-immunoreactive cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and similar to the results in a CLO-administered group in our previous study. Blood corticosterone levels increased in the CLO-administered group but did not change in the CAP-administered group. Additionally, CAP was found to decreased 3-Methoxytyramine and histamine in mice at the time to maximum concentration. These results suggest that CAP-administered mice are less vulnerable to stress than CLO-administered mice, and the first evidence that CAP exposure increases neuronal activity and induces anxiety-like behavior as well as neurotransmitter disturbances in mammals.

Developmental stage-specific exposure and neurotoxicity evaluation of low-dose clothianidin during neuronal circuit formation.

Neonicotinoid pesticides (NN) were recently reported to exhibit adverse effects in higher vertebrates. Moreover, NNs are routinely transferred from mother to offspring, raising concerns about their effects on future generations. The fetal and neonatal periods are the most critical to the formation of neural circuits in the brain through neurogenesis and differentiation, neuronal migration, axon guidance, and synaptogenesis. NN exposure throughout the fetal and neonatal periods was found to affect the neurobehavior of the offspring, but the stage-specific neurobehavioral effects are unclear. We exposed fetal and neonatal mice to a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of clothianidin (CLO) for 4 days during each of four developmental stages: neurite proliferation and differentiation (fetal days 9-12, CLO-1), neurite outgrowth (fetal days 15-18, CLO-2), synapse formation and astrocyte differentiation (days 1-4 after birth, CLO-3), and synapse remodeling (days 11-14 after birth, CLO-4). CLO's neurobehavioral effects were evaluated in juveniles and adults, revealing that CLO-1 and CLO-2 caused behavioral abnormalities in adult mice. CLO-3 significantly increased locomotor activity and decreased juvenile neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus in adulthood. Comprehensive gene analysis of CLO-3 revealed high expression of genes related to neurite outgrowth and axonal branching in the hippocampus in juveniles and adults. These results revealed developmental stage-specific effects of a NOAEL of CLO in the fetal and neonatal periods, suggesting that the susceptibility of the fetus and neonate to CLO varies by developmental stage.

Next-generation effects of fetal and lactational exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin on the immune system and gut microbiota.

Recently, the effects of exposure to clothianidin (CLO) on the thymus and gut microbiota have become clear, but no report has examined its next-generation impacts. Pregnant C57BL/6N mice were administered a no-observed-adverse-effect-level dose of CLO until weaning. We examined CLO's effects on the gut microbiota and immune organs of dams and their 3- and 10-week-old male offspring. CLO administration led to several alterations of the top 30 bacterial genera in the gut microbiota in dams and 3-week-old mice. Compared to controls, 10-week-old mice had more thymic Hassall's corpuscles, and both dams and 10-week-old mice had fewer macrophages. These results suggest that fetal and lactational CLO exposure may affect the immune system and gut microbiota of the next generation.

Transgenerational effects of developmental neurotoxicity induced by exposure to a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin.

Neonicotinoid pesticides (NNs) transfer rapidly from mother to offspring, which exhibit neurobehavioral effects. However, no studies have investigated NNs' transgenerational effects. We exposed F0 generation mice (mothers) to a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of clothianidin (CLO) during gestation and lactation, and examined the adult neurobehavioral effects of three generations of offspring (F1, F2, F3). F1 had lower birth weight, decreased locomotor activity, and increased anxiety-like behavior. In F2, body weight was affected, and there was a decreasing trend in locomotor activity and an increasing trend in anxiety-like behavior. In F3, locomotor activity tended to increase. Thus, even when only the mothers were exposed, the effects of CLOs were still observed in F1, F2, and F3 but the effects became smaller.