Quinalphos Research Articles

Copper Oxide Anchored Carbon Nanofibers: A Versatile Platform for Multiplex Detection of Antibiotics, Heavy Metals and Pesticides.

Electrochemical sensors offer promising prospects for real-time pollutant monitoring. In this study, copper oxide-dispersed graphitic carbon nanofibers (CuO-CNFs) grown via chemical vapour deposition were employed as a robust platform for detecting a variety of environmental pollutants. This array-based sensor adeptly identifies three different classes of analytes, i. e., antibiotics (chloramphenicol (CP) and tylosin tartrate (TT)), heavy metals (cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb)), and pesticides (quinalphos (QP) and imidacloprid (IP)). Electron collection is facilitated by a glassy carbon electrode, while various physico-electrochemical methods delve into the properties of CuO-CNFs. The CuO-CNF-modified GCE array rapidly discerns (<15 sec) a broad linear range: 1-20 ppm for CP, 1-13.33 ppm for TT, 0.66-11.66 ppm for Cd, 20-33.33 ppm for Pb, 1.6-11.6 ppm for QP, and 5-25 ppm for IP, boasting quantification limits of 1.0, 1.0, 0.66, 20.0, 1.6, and 5.0 ppm for CP, TT, Cd, Pb, QP, and IP, respectively. Notably, this sensor achieves simultaneous identification of mixed analytes, including CP and TT, Cd and Pb, and QP and IP, within real tap water. Furthermore, the electrochemical sensor exhibits robustness; heightened sensitivity, selectivity, and stability; a swift response; and impressive reproducibility in detecting CP, TT, Cd, Pb, QP, and IP within aqueous samples. Consequently, this array-based electrochemical sensor has emerged as a rapid and simultaneous detection tool for diverse pollutant residues in surface and groundwater samples.

The effectiveness of vitamin C on quinalphos ileal toxicity: a study of histological, ultrastructural, and oxidative stress markers.

There is a significant hazard of human exposure to the organophosphates which is a constant threat, and they are responsible for numerous cases of poisoning and mammalian toxicity annually in non-target wildlife. The antioxidants, including the vitamin C (Vit C), have a protective effect on some organophosphorus compounds-induced organ damage. Quinalphos (QP) is one of these compounds. The investigation's objective is to see if there was any effect of QP on the rat ileum which could be rectified by using Vit C. Three groups of 24 animals were created. As a control, the first group was given pure water. Second group subjected to oral gavages of QPs. Third group rats were given oral gavages of Vit C plus QPs for 10days. The reaction of ileal enterocytes to food-borne QPs was marked by poorly organized microvilli, numerous vacuoles within them, disrupted nuclei with chromatin margination, disoriented mitochondria, and an expanded intercellular space. The absorptive columnar cell illustrated many vacuoles inside with herniation of microvilli, and normal goblet cells were also seen. Many Paneth cells towards the lumen of intestinal gland contained secretory granules of different sizes and shapes. The histological architecture of the ileal mucosa in the QP plus Vit C group was found to be close to those of healthy controls. The outcomes of this study suggest that administering Vit C in rats treated with QPs protects them from ill dysfunction caused by QP.

Potential Protective Effect of Vitamin C on Qunalphos-Induced Cardiac Toxicity: Histological and Tissue Biomarker Assay.

Insecticides and toxicants abound in nature, posing a health risk to humans. Concurrent exposure to many environmental contaminants has been demonstrated to harm myocardial performance and reduce cardiac oxidative stress. The purpose of this research was to study the protective effect of vitamin C (Vit C) on quinalphos (QP)-induced cardiac tissue damage in rats. Eighteen albino male rats were randomly categorised into three groups (n = 6). Control, QP group: rats received distilled water. QP insecticide treatment: an oral administration of QP incorporated in drinking water. QP + Vit C group: rats received QP and Vit C. All the experiments were conducted for ten days. Decline of cardiac antioxidant biomarkers catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GPx) along with increased proinflammatory markers tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) indicated oxidative and inflammatory damage to the heart following administration of QP when compared to control rats. The light microscopic and ultrastructure appearance of QP-treated cardiomyocytes exhibited cardiac damage. Administration of Vit C showed decreased oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers, confirmed with histological and electron microscopic examination. In conclusion, Vit C protected the heart from QP-induced cardiac damage due to decreased inflammation and oxidative stress.

Chain-like 2-amino-4-thiazoleacetic acid tethered AuNPs as colorimetric and spectrophotometric probe for organophosphate pesticide in water and fruit samples

This investigation describes the detection of quinalphos (QP), one of the organophosphate pesticides using 2-amino-4-thiazoleacetic acid anchored AuNPs (ATA-AuNPs) via naked eye and spectrophotometry. The ATA-AuNPs were synthesized by a bottom-up approach and confirmed by UV–vis, XRD, zeta potential and HR-TEM analyses. The ATA-AuNPs exhibited absorption maximum at 521 nm and the HR-TEM images revealed the formation of chain-like morphology of ATA-AuNPs with an average size of 6.4 nm. The zeta potential value of −38.5 mV suggested that the –NH2 groups of ATA adsorbed on AuNPs surface and the acetic acid group was free from binding, which prevented the aggregation of AuNPs by electrostatic repulsion. The ATA-AuNPs solution color was changed to violet from wine-red upon the addition of 3.5 µM QP whereas the absorption at 521 nm was diminished with the appearance of a new peak around 650 nm. The ATA-AuNPs started to aggregate after the addition of 7.5 µM of QP and the size of ATA-AuNPs was increased to 10.7 nm due to aggregation. Since the free acid group of ATA was involved in hydrogen bonding with the sulphur atom of QP the ATA-AuNPs were aggregated. It is obvious from the solution color change that naked eye detection of 2.5 µM QP can be possible. The ATA-AuNPs showed excellent anti-interference ability towards QP even with 2850-fold higher concentration of major interferents. A good linearity was observed in the detection of 0.5 to 3.5 µM QP (R2 = 0.9971) with the lowest LOD of 14.37 µg L−1 (S/N = 3). The practicability of the developed colorimetric and spectrophotometric methods was examined by determining the QP levels in QP treated field water samples and fruit samples.

Organophosphorus pesticide quinalphos (Ekalux 25 E.C.) reduces sperm functional competence and decreases the fertilisation potential in Swiss albino mice.

Quinalphos (QP)is one of the most commonly used organophosphate pesticide for agriculture. In this study,adultSwiss albino male mice were orally administered with 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0mg/kg of QP (Ekalux 25 E.C.) for ten consecutive days and the reproductive function was assessed at 35 and 70days after QP treatment. At highest dose (1.0mg/kg), QP exposure resulted in significant decrease in motility and increase in sperm head defects and DNA damage. Pharmacokinetic data showed a threefold increase in concentration of QP in the testis as compared to serum. QP was detectable in testes even after 24hr of administration indicating slow clearance from tissue. In addition, high oestradiol,low testosterone levelwith a parallel increase in aromatase and cytochrome P450 transcript levelswas observed. Significant decrease in fertilisation, lowerblastocyst rateand poor blastocyst quality was observed when spermatozoa collected from QP exposed mice were subjected to in vitro fertilisation. In conclusion, exposure of QP to male mice decreases the sperm functional competence and fertilising ability, whichappears to bemediated through elevated oxidative stress and altered steroidogenesis in testes.

Photocatalytic degradation of monocrotophos and quinalphos using solar-activated S-doped TiO2

The present work demonstrates the degradation of two persistent and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides, i.e. monocrotophos (MCP) and quinalphos (QP), which are an inevitable part of Indian agricultural practices. The major emphasis lies in using the naturally and easily available, inexpensive sunlight for water purification. Thus, TiO2 was modified into sulphur-doped TiO2 (S–TiO2) to make it active under sunlight via wet impregnation method. Various catalysts were synthesized by varying the dopant ratio and characterized using FESEM, EDS, XRD, UV-DRS and TEM. With doping, a significant decrease in band gap energy from 3.2 to 2.9 eV was noticed. FESEM revealed that the particles are spherical shaped and slightly agglomerated. Particle size was found to decrease from 33 nm for P25 to 26.82 nm for doped TiO2. According to the various results obtained, 0.7:1 (S:Ti) dopant ratio catalyst was concluded to give optimum results. Further, the degradation studies were carried out under sunlight by varying and optimizing various parameters, i.e. dopant concentration, calcination temperature, catalyst loading, pH and initial concentration. Maximum degradation of 95.36% and 98.09% for MCP (25 mg/L) and QP (20 mg/L) is obtained, respectively, with 0.7:1 (S:Ti) as optimum dopant ratio. Kinetics was studied using Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson (LHHW) model and was found to obey pseudo-first-order kinetics. The mineralization of pesticides into simpler compounds was confirmed by COD analysis and degradation pathway is also proposed for both the pollutants.

Exploring the sublethal genotoxic effects of class II organophosphorus insecticide quinalphos on freshwater fish Cyprinus carpio

The genotoxic effects of quinalphos (QP) were evaluated in the erythrocytes of Cyprinus carpio using the comet, micronucleus, and nuclear abnormality assays. The 96 h LC50 value of quinalphos, estimated by static renewal system, was 10.9 µL/L. On the basis of the LC50 value, two sublethal concentrations (1.09 and 2.18 µL/L) of the compound were used together with cyclophosphamide (5 mg/L) as the positive control. The fish were exposed for 35 d, and sampling was done at the end of 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 d. Our results reveal a significant dose-dependent increase in the frequencies of DNA strand breaks, micronucleus, and nuclear abnormalities. Similar responses were also observed in fish exposed to the positive genotoxin cyclophosphamide. The collective findings demonstrated that quinalphos exerts a genotoxic effect on C. carpio. The results further confirmed that the comet, micronucleus, and nuclear abnormality assays are useful tools in determining the potential genotoxicity of pesticides towards aquatic organisms.

Rapid biodegradation and biofilm-mediated bioremoval of organophosphorus pesticides using an indigenous Kosakonia oryzae strain -VITPSCQ3 in a Vertical-flow Packed Bed Biofilm Bioreactor.

The widespread use of pesticides has been one of the major anthropogenic sources of environmental pollution. Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are predominantly used in agriculture due to their broad-spectrum insecticidal activity and chemical stability. The study was focused on the biodegradation of OP pesticides, Profenofos (PF) and Quinalphos (QP) in culture media using bacterium isolated from wetland paddy rhizosphere. The strain VITPSCQ3 showed higher pesticide tolerance, efficient biofilm formation and was capable of synthesizing organophosphate degrading enzymes. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequencing the isolate exhibited maximum sequence similarity with Kosakinia oryzae (GenBank accession number: KR149275). Biodegradation assay with various concentrations of PF and QP (200, 400, 600 and 800mgL-1) showed maximum degradation up to 82% and 92% within 48h. The kinetic studies revealed the biodegradation rates (k) to be 0.0844 min-1 and 0.107 min-1 with half-lives (h) of 18h and 14.8h for PF and QP. The degradation products were identified by GCMS and possible degradation pathways were proposed using Insilico techniques. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the biodegradation of PF and QP using Kosakonia oryzae. Bioremoval of PF and QP from aqueous solution was performed using the biofilm of VITPSCQ3 developed on selected substrates in a circulating Vertical-flow packed-bed biofilm (VFPBB) bioreactor. Charcoal, gravel and mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) were used as biofilm carriers. Mushroom showed strong biofilm formation with optimum biodegradation capacity of up to 96% for PF and 92% for QP within 120min reaction time.

Oxidative stress response, epigenetic and behavioral alterations in Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to organophosphorus pesticide quinalphos

Abstract Quinalphos (QP), an organophosphate pesticide is used worldwide in agricultural practices. Extensive use of pesticides creates toxicological and environmental nuisances on non-target organisms, where it severely affects cholinergic neurons in higher animals and also induces Parkinson, Alzheimer's disease and male sterility in humans. This study evaluated the sublethal effects of QP using Caenorhabditis elegans on the endpoints of body bend frequency, head thrash frequency, feeding activity for the assay as toxicity parameters. To assess the molecular-level effect, expression pattern of genes associated with locomotion (unc-47, unc-13), pharyngeal pumping (egl-30), epigenetic modulation (utx-1), and oxidative stress (daf-2, daf-16, age-1 and glod-4) was investigated by semi-quantitative PCR. The LC50 value of QP was 0.0323 mM for 1 h of exposure, and L4-stage worms were exposed to sublethal concentrations of 0.00344 mM. After QP exposure, body bend frequency, head thrash frequency and feeding behavior of worms was significantly decreased. Expression analysis results indicate that QP exposure leads to the up-regulation in expression of some stress genes (daf-16 and glod-4) and pharyngeal pumping (egl-30), while other genes responsible for stress like daf-2 and age-1, locomotion (unc-13 and unc-47) and epigenetic modulation (utx-1) are down-regulated. Subsequently, transgenic worms expressing daf-16::GFP were exposed to QP, where induced expression of DAF-16 was evident. Overall, it appears to recruit daf-2/insulin receptor and daf-16/FOXO-dependent pathways to rescue the animals from QP-mediated oxidative stress. Alterations in the expression of many genes by QP are unveiled for the first time in this study, which could serve as biomarkers for monitoring QP exposure.

Determination of Organophosphorous Pesticides in Blood Using Microextraction in Packed Sorbent and Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

The aim of our work was to develop a method for the determination of six organophosphorous pesticides (Ops) (azynphos-ethyl (AZP), diazinon (DZN), chlorpyrifos (CLP), chlorfenvinfos (CLF), parathion-ethyl (PRT) and quinalphos (QLP)) in whole blood using microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and analysis by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The optimization of the MEPS procedure was performed using a design of experiments (DOE) approach, assessing different factors that significantly affected the extraction efficiency. Ultimately, the number of sample strokes, wash volume, percentage of 2-propanol in the wash solvent and the number of elution strokes were successfully optimized using a response surface methodology (RSM). The developed and optimized method was fully validated according to international guidelines. Linearity was established from 2.5 to 50 μg/mL for AZP and from 0.5 to 50 μg/mL for the remaining compounds, with coefficients of determination (R2) higher than 0.99 in all cases. The lower limit of quantification were 2.5 μg/mL (AZP) and 0.5 μg/mL (remaining compounds). Recoveries ranged from 61% to 77%. Intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were considered adequate according to the guidelines. This is the first method employing MEPS as a sample preparation procedure for the analysis of these OPs in whole blood.

Amelioration of Quinalphos-Induced Oxidative Stress by Emblica officinalis Fruit Extracts in Rats

The fruit of Emblica officinalis (commonly known Amla) contain potent antioxidants and is most commonly used in the Ayurveda for the treatment of various diseases. Quinalphos- a organophorus insecticide is known to alter antioxidant defense system in mammals. With this premise, experiment was planned with objective to study the effect of amla fruit extract supplementation on quinalphos induced oxidative stress. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were homogenously divided into six groups of four animals each. Group I was kept as control. Group II was orally given quinalphos at the dose rate of 2 mg.kg -1 . day -1 . Group III and V were orally gavaged with amla in sugar and honey bases respectively at the dose rate of 50 μg.kg -1 .day -1 whereas group IV and VI were orally dosed with quinalphos along with amla in sugar and honey bases respectively at above mentioned dose rates from day 16-45. The various indices of antioxidant status were analyzed in major organs of treatment groups viz . Liver, kidney and brain. Sub chronic quinalphos administration produced oxidative stress in rats as evidenced by increase in lipid peroxidation, glutathione peroxidase and decline in superoxide dismutase. Oral supplementation of amla extract in sugar and honey bases provided partially amelioration against altered antioxidant status following sub chronic quinalphos exposure. Results of histopathological study were also in corroboration with blood antioxidant status validating amla in either bases was unable to provide full protection against quinalphos induced toxicity in rats.

Toxicomorphomics and toxicokinetics of quinalphos on embryonic development of zebrafish (Danio rerio) and its binding affinity towards hatching enzyme, ZHE1

This study outlines the toxic effects of Quinalphos (QP), an organophosphrous insecticide on the development of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos, with special emphasis on toxicomorphomics and toxicokinetics of target enzyme, AChE. A range of concentrations was used to elucidate the median lethal concentration (LC50) of Quinalphos. Furthermore, embryos were exposed to two sub-lethal concentrations LC10 (0.66mg/L) and LC20 (1.12mg/L) along with a median lethal concentration (3.0mg/L) for 96h. Several morphological aberrations like lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, heart edema, breaks in the neuronal tube and underdeveloped facial parts were noticed, which were of concentration and time dependent. The QP has adequately hindered hatching process during the course of exposure which was upheld by the in silico docking studies with hatching enzyme, ZHE1. The length of hatchlings at 96h in LC50 concentration was significantly reduced to 47% compared to control. A significant pericardial effusion (5 to 16 fold) was observed in >90% of LC50 treated groups. Morphological changes in heart lead to the bradycardia, which ultimately leading to heart failure in some cases. The swimming behavior was significantly diminished in relation to the inhibition of AChE levels. From the in vitro kinetic studies, the kinetic constants Km, Vmax and inhibitory concentration Ki (4.45×10−5M) was determined which supported the competitive nature of QP.

Investigations on the Phase Transformation, Optical Characteristics, and Photocatalytic Activity of Synthesized Heterostructured Nanoporous Bi2O3–TiO2

Fine‐powdered, heterostructured, nanoporous Bi2O3–TiO2 (BTO) was synthesized by a green approach using ultrasonication, with the mole ratio Bi/Ti of 1:1 and calcined at different temperatures. The physical and optical properties of the mixed oxides were investigated. The phase structure, as identified by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), showed the appearance of new phases as a function of the calcination temperature. Morphological examinations indicated the formation of a nanoporous structure with a drastic change in morphology at the calcination temperature of 850°C from a globule to a rod‐shaped structure, which further got transformed to a rocky appearance at 1200°C. Doping with Bi2O3 led to the lowering of the bandgap of TiO2 from 3.25 to 2.5 eV. A BTO nanocatalyst calcined at 450°C exhibited promising photocatalytic activity for the degradation of quinalphos (QP) (92%) after a time interval of 100 min under visible light and at the optimum pH 8. The kinetics of degradation of QP showed that it follows a pseudo‐first‐order path with a rate constant 0.01267 min−1. The synthesized BTO mixed oxide showed profound improvement in photocatalytic activity in the visible region as compared to TiO2.

Adsorption kinetics and degradation mechanism study of water persistent insecticide quinalphos: for heterogeneous photocatalysis onto TiO2

The kinetics of adsorption and photodecomposition of the water polluting insecticide quinalphos (QP), in aqueous suspensions of TiO2 were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe the adsorption process and the model proposed by Langmuir–Hinshelwood was used to illustrate the kinetics of the photodecomposition reactions of QP. The adsorption capacity of TiO2 observed to increase from 7.86 to 20.04 mg g−1 with the increase in initial QP concentration from 5 to 25 mg L−1, respectively. About 45.8% adsorption of 20 mg L−1 QP was observed in just 60 min at pH 6 with 5 g L−1 TiO2 loading and 25 ± 1°C temperature. TiO2 was found to have a maximum adsorption capacity of 23.7 mg g−1 for QP. Photocatalytic treatment of 200-mL solution (20 mg L−1) under least harmful UV-A radiations (365 nm/30 W m−2) with 0.5 g L−1 TiO2 loading gives nearly 89.67% degradation in 3 h. The photodecomposition rate of QP was significantly higher at slightly acidic conditions (pH 6). Increasing light intensity from 20 to 35 W m−2 and aperture to volume ratio of the photoreaction from 0.515 to 1.327 cm2 mL−1 shows a notable increase in the decomposition rate of QP. Formation of two complex intermediates (m/z 282 and 284) and a few smaller compounds (m/z 104, 108, and 149) were detected by the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the reaction sample after 3 h UV irradiation in the presence of TiO2. These intermediates were further dissociated to simpler hydrocarbons, possibly, by reacting with ⋅OH and ⋅O species.

Alteration of Blood Parameters and Histoarchitecture of Liver and Kidney of Silver Barb after Chronic Exposure to Quinalphos.

Quinalphos (QP) is commonly used for pest control in the agricultural fields surrounding freshwater reservoirs. This study was conducted to evaluate the chronic toxicity of this pesticide on blood parameters and some organs of silver barb, Barbonymus gonionotus. Fish were exposed to two sublethal concentrations, 0.47 ppm and 0.94 ppm, of QP for a period of 28 days. All the blood parameters (red blood cell, hematocrit, and hemoglobin) and blood glucose except for white blood cells decreased with increasing concentration of toxicant and become significantly lower (p < 0.05) at higher concentration when compared with control. The derived hematological indices of mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were equally altered compared to control. Histoarchitectural changes of liver and kidney were observed after exposure to the QP. Hypertrophy of hepatocytes, mild to severe necrosis, ruptured central vein, and vacuolation were observed in the liver of treated groups. Highly degenerated kidney tubules and hematopoietic tissue, degeneration of renal corpuscle, vacuolization, and necrosis were evident in the kidney of treated groups. In conclusion, chronic exposure to QP at sublethal concentrations induced hematological and histological alterations in silver barb and offers a simple tool to evaluate toxicity derived alterations.

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry for Trace Determination of Quinalphos Employing Silicon Carbide Nanoparticles Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

AbstractA silicon carbide nanoparticle‐coated glassy carbon electrode (SiCNPs‐GCE) was employed for electrochemical determination of Quinalphos (QNP) using different electroanalytical techniques. QNP showed an enhancement in the reduction peak current at SiCNPs modified GCE in pH 7.0 (BR Buffer). The peak current was found to be linear with the QNP concentration in the range from 6.69×10−9 to 1.34×10−6 M (r=0.995) with detection limit of 1.34×10−9 M (S/N=3). The developed sensor (SiCNPs‐GCE) was employed for QNP determination in tap water, lake water, soil, mango as well as in biological samples.

Biodegradation of organophosphate pesticide quinalphos by Ochrobactrum sp. strain HZM.

Isolation and identification of bacteria capable of degrading organophosphate pesticide quinalphos and elucidation of its biodegradative pathway. A bacterium capable of degrading organophosphate pesticides was isolated from the pesticide-contaminated soil samples by selective enrichment on quinalphos (QP) as a sole source of carbon and energy. The bacterial strain was identified as Ochrobactrum sp. strain HZM on the basis of its morphological and biochemical characteristics and by phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. The organism utilized various organophosphate pesticides such as quinalphos, profenofos, parathion-methyl and chlorpyrifos as growth substrates. Response surface methodology (RSM) showed optimum conditions for quinalphos degradation at pH 7 and 27°C. 2-Hydroxyquinoxaline and diethyl phosphate were identified as metabolites of quinalphos degradation by HPLC and GC-MS analysis. Cell-free extract of Ochrobactrum sp. strain HZM grown on quinalphos contained the quinalphos hydrolase activity. A bacterial strain capable of degrading quinalphos was isolated and identified as Ochrobactrum sp. strain HZM. The organism utilized organophosphate pesticides quinalphos, profenofos, parathion-methyl and chlorpyrifos as carbon sources. The organism degraded quinalphos by hydrolysis to yield 2-hydroxyquinoxaline and diethyl phosphate which were further utilized as carbon sources. The isolated bacterium Ochrobactrum sp. strain HZM was versatile in degrading various organophosphate pesticides. There was complete mineralization of quinalphos by Ochrobactrum sp. This strain could potentially be useful in the bioremediation of soil and water contaminated with toxic organophosphate pesticides.

Antioxidant mediated ameliorative steroidogenesis by Commelina benghalensis L. and Cissus quadrangularis L. against quinalphos induced male reproductive toxicity

Quinalphos (QP) is speculated to cause endocrine disruption through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by oxidative stress (OS). Exposure of QP decreased testosterone level considerably which resulted in reduced viable sperms in mice. The QP induced toxicity is initiated by the formation of free radicals as it is evidenced from the increased Lipid peroxidation (LPO) and diminution of antioxidant enzymes in testicular tissue. Increased serum cholesterol and reduced testicular cholesterol indicated the inhibition of cholesterol transport and biosynthesis in testicular tissues. Lack of cholesterol in testicular tissue impaired the steroidogenesis by down-regulating the expression of StAR protein, Cytochrome P450, 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD leading to reduced testosterone level. Treatment of Commelina benganlensis (CBE) and Cissus quadrangularis (CQE) significantly recovered the alterations in antioxidant profiles as well as increased LPO, thereby recovering the decreased mRNA expression levels of intermediate enzymes. However, CQE effectively protected the OS and prevented the inhibition of steroidogenesis thereby preventing male infertility.

Bio-efficacy of spinosad against tomato fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hub.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its natural enemies

The tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera Hub. is a polyphagous pest attacking cotton, tomato, okra, chilli, cabbage, pigeon pea, gram etc. throughout the world as well as in India. Due to its high fecundity, polyphagous nature, quick adaptation against insecticides, control of this pest with any single potent toxicant for a long time is quiet difficult and rather impossible. So the newer chemicals need to be evaluated for controlling this pest. Field experiment was under taken for two cropping seasons during September - December, 2006 and September - December, 2007 to find out the efficacy of Spinosad 45% SC against tomato fruit borer (H. armigera Hub.) along with Quinalphos 25% EC, Lambda cyhalothrin 5% EC and Cypermethrin 10 EC at ‘Gayespur’ village (Nadia, West-Bengal, India). It was found that Spinosad was effective against H. armigera on tomato at 73 to 84 gm a.i./ha than Quinalphos, Lambda cyhalothrin and Cypermethrin. Spinosad at 73 to 84 gm a.i./ha were very safe to three important predators recorded in tomato field that is, Menochilus sexmaculaus., Syrphus corollae and Chrysoperla carnea.Spinosad is one of such new chemicals which is derived from fermentation broth of soil actinomycetes, Saccharopolyspora spinosa, containing a naturally occurring mixture of spinosyn A and spinosyn D. It is safe to nymphs and adults of the natural enemies. Key words: Spinosad, Helicoverpa armigera, tomato, natural enemies.

Effects of Pesticides (Endo sulfan and Quinal phos) on Microbial Community under Controlled Conditions

Aim of the study was to evaluate cumulative effects of pesticides applied to cotton fields on soil microorganisms under controlled conditions after reports of increasing cancer events in cotton gro...