Pesticide Exposure Alters Lipid Contents in Caiman latirostris Egg Yolk

CHACÓN, CAMILA F.; VIRGINIA PARACHÚ MARCÓ; PABLO ARIEL SIROSKI; GISELA LAURA POLETTA

Montevideo

Congreso; SETAC Latin America 15th Biennial Meeting 17?20 September 2023 | Montevideo, Uruguay ?Cutting-Edge Knowledge and Technologies for Environmental Health Management and Research?; 2023

Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)

Lipid study is of special interest because they are essential components of biological membranes, extra andintracellular signaling processes, hormone precursors, signal transducers and amplifiers of regulatory cascades. Particularly, in crocodilians, lipids are the main source of energy for reproduction, growth, andembryonic development. Therefore, lipid homeostasis is crucial during the development of a healthyembryo. In Argentina, wild populations of Caiman latirostris are exposed to successive applications of pesticides used to optimize agricultural production. In the present study, composition of fatty acids (FAs), cholesterol (C) and tocopherols (T) concentrations were evaluated in C. latirostris yolk remainder at themoment of hatching after in ovo exposure to pesticide formulations widely used in extensive crops inArgentina. Pesticides were applied by spraying on nest material at the beginning of the incubation period, at concentrations applied on soybean crops for each of the compounds. Treatments were: negative control, spread with tap water (NC), a formulation of glyphosate (GLY; 2%), of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D; 0.12%), of imidacloprid (IMI; 0.2%), of chlorantraniliprole (CAP; 0.03%) and a mixture (M) of all pesticide formulations at half concentration (GLY 1; 2.4D 0.06; IMI 0.1 and CAP 0.015%). The analysis of the composition of FAs in egg yolk showed the presence of 25 FAs, where polyunsaturated FA showedchanges in its concentration in hatchlings exposed to GLY compared to the NC (Dunn Test p < 0.05). In addition, the results showed a significant lower level of T in animals exposed to the M, compared to the NC and to GLY treatment (Dunn Test p < 0.05). Finally, the levels of C in C. latirostris yolk remainder weresignificantly lower in hatchlings exposed to CAP with respect to NC; and CAP compared to the M (DunnTest p < 0.05). The present study provides information on the negative effect produced by pesticides on the lipid contents in egg yolk of a native caiman species of South America. These alterations could be crucial for the development of a healthy embryo, and in the long term, for the conservation of this species.