CuO NPs-induced damage to testes and deregulation of the antioxidant system in wild terrestrial organism Blaps sulcata (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

Considering the constantly growing areas of CuO NPs applications, including agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, one can suspect that the balance in soil ecosystems can be seriously disturbed. Such a scenario causes serious concern about the fate of wild animals inhabiting these ecosystems. The study aimed to estimate the effects of a single exposure of Blaps sulcata, a valuable indicator of terrestrial environments pollution, on copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs), emphasizing changes in the gonads. Survival curves were estimated, and LD50 was calculated as 0.0352 mg ∙ g-1b.w. Moreover, 30 days after the CuO NPs injection, an increased accumulation of Cu in the testes and numerous degenerative changes in this organ was found. These changes were accompanied by an intensification of apoptosis, DNA damage, and dysregulation of the antioxidant system, which was manifested by an increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) with a simultaneous decrease in the activity of catalase (CAT). Reduced acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was also observed, suggesting that the exposed insects may have problems with neurotransmission and bear negative behavioral consequences - from obtaining food and avoiding predators to mating and reproductive behavior. The far-reaching effects of exposure of wild animals, including terrestrial insects, to CuO NPs, may be reproductive abnormalities and disturbances in populations and ecosystems. Thus, using CuO NPs, including fertilizers, growth stimulators, and pesticides, must be carefully considered in the future.