The ongoing decline of bee populations and its impact on food security demands integrating multiple strategies. Sublethal impairments associated with exposure to insecticides, affecting the individual and the colony levels, have led to insecticide moratoria and bans. However, legislation alone is not sufficient and remains a temporary solution to an evolving market of insecticides. Here, we ask whether bees can be prophylactically protected against sublethal cognitive effects of two major neurotoxic insecticides, imidacloprid and fipronil, with different mechanisms of action. We evaluated the protective effect of the prophylactic administration of the flavonoid rutin, a secondary plant metabolite, present in nectar and pollen, and known for its neuroprotective properties. Following controlled or ad libitum administration of rutin, foragers of the North American bumble bee B. impatiens received oral administration of the insecticides at sublethal realistic dosages. Learning acquisition, memory retention and decision speed were evaluated using olfactory absolute conditioning of the proboscis extension response. We show that the insecticides primarily impair acquisition but not retention or speed of conditioned response. We further show that the administration of the flavonoid rutin successfully protects the bees against impairments produced by acute and chronic administration of insecticides. Our results suggest a new avenue for the protection of bees against sublethal cognitive effects of insecticides.
The flavonoid rutin protects against cognitive impairments by imidacloprid and fipronil
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): National Science Foundation
- Award Id(s): IOS-1354191
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Fulbright Colombia
- Funder(s):
Currently Viewing Accepted Manuscript - Newer Version Available
Andre J. Riveros, Wulfila Gronenberg; The flavonoid rutin protects against cognitive impairments by imidacloprid and fipronil. J Exp Biol 2022; jeb.244526. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244526
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