Combinational Toxic Effect of Insecticide and Fungicide on Hematological Indicators in Mice

Abstract

Exposure to two or more compounds in a living system may result in unexpected outcomes. The present study was planned to investigate the effect of two pesticides, Imidacloprid (IMI) and Carbendazim (CBZ), when exposed alone and in combination, on hematological indicators. All mice were equally divided into six different groups consisting of normal control, IMI-L & IMI-H (45.5 & 90.0 mg/kg feed, respectively), CBZ-L & CBZ-H (1.4 and 2.8 g/kg feed, respectively) alone, and in combination (IMI-L+CBZ-L). Blood was collected, and hematology was performed upon completion of the 28-day feeding period. Results revealed that exposure to IMI and CBZ did not show apparent signs and symptoms of toxicity except for the IMI high dose alone. The net average feed and water consumption per mouse were comparatively less in the IMI-H and CBZ-H groups compared to the control group. A dose-dependent significant change (p<0.05) in TLC, TEC, PCV, and Hb values was noticed in treatment groups. Non-significant changes (p>0.05) in the percent lymphocyte, eosinophil, and monocyte were noticed between all the treatment groups. No significant change (p>0.05) in the values of Hb, PCV, MCV, and MCH of the IMI-L+CBZ+L treated group was noticed when compared with the respective IM-L and CBZ-L groups. A non-significant change (p>0.05) in studied parameters was noticed when compared between IMI-L+CBZ-L treated groups with corresponding CBZ-L and IMI-L alone treatment groups. Based on the interactive index, the study concluded that a combination of IMI and CBZ exposure via the dietary medium has no definitive additive or synergistic toxic effect on hematological indicators.