Detection of imidacloprid and metabolites in Northern Leopard frog (Rana pipiens) brains.

Neonicotinoids are a new type of highly water-soluble insecticide used in agricultural practices to eliminate pests. Neonicotinoids bind almost irreversibly to postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the central nervous system of invertebrates, resulting in overstimulation, paralysis, and death. Imidacloprid, the most commonly used neonicotinoid, is often transported to nearby wetlands through subsurface tile drains and has been identified as a neurotoxin in several aquatic non-target organisms. The aim of the present study was to determine if imidacloprid could cross the blood-brain barrier in adult Northern Leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) following exposure to 0, 0.1, 1, 5, or 10 µg/L for 21 days. Additionally, we quantified the breakdown product of imidacloprid, imidacloprid-olefin, and conducted feeding trials to better understand how imidacloprid affects foraging behavior over time. Exposure groups had 12 to 313 times more imidacloprid in the brain relative to the control and breakdown products showed a dose-response relationship. Moreover, imidacloprid brain concentrations were approximately 14 times higher in the 10 µg/L treatment compared to the water exposure concentration, indicating imidacloprid can bioaccumulate in the amphibian brain. Reaction times to a food stimulus were 1.5 to 3.2 times slower among treatment groups compared to the control. Furthermore, there was a positive relationship between mean response time and log-transformed imidacloprid brain concentration. These results indicate imidacloprid can successfully cross the blood-brain barrier and bioaccumulate in adult amphibians. Our results also provide insights into the relationship between imidacloprid brain concentration and subsequent altered foraging behavior.

Effect of bovine somatotropin administered to periparturient dairy cows on the incidence of metabolic disease.

Thirty-eight dry, pregnant Jersey cows were assigned to diet and bST treatment in a 2 x 2 factorial design. During the dry period, half of the cows were fed a normal TMR (0.4% Ca; 0.3 to 0.4% P), and half of the cows were fed a high Ca TMR (1.5 to 1.6% Ca; 0.4 to 0.7% P). The high Ca diets were designed to induce milk fever and were relatively cationic (194 to 293 meq/kg) compared with the normal diets (-131 to 30 meq/kg). A standard dairy diet was fed to all cows postcalving. Cows received subcutaneous injections of either an oil-based excipient or 500 mg of bST in an oil-based excipient every 14 d from 28 d before expected calving until approximately 14 d postcalving. Peripartal bST treatment decreased the incidence of clinical mastitis, did not affect incidence of milk fever, and increased the duration, but not the incidence, of ketosis in mature Jersey cows. Blood data confirmed the clinical responses and indicated that treated cows mobilized more bone Ca than did controls, as was evidenced by increased hydroxyproline concentrations. Treatment with bST did not affect blood concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, Ca, or Mg. High Ca diets increased the incidence of milk fever and downer cow syndrome compared with normal diets. The effect of bST on mastitis and milk production must be considered as preliminary given the small size of the study. Although bST treatment increased Ca mobilization, the effect was insufficient to prevent milk fever in this model.

Destripeptide insulin-like growth factor-I in milk from bovine somatotropin-treated cows.

Total somatomedins from milk of bovine somatotropin-treated cows were isolated and characterized to determine the relative amount of the three amino acid N-terminally truncated form of IGF-I (destripeptide IGF-I). The somatomedin fraction was isolated using organic solvent and solid-phase extractions followed by preparative reverse phase HPLC and affinity chromatography. The overall yield of IGF-I was 28%, and destripeptide IGF-I was recovered with similar efficiency. The isolated somatomedins were resolved by capillary zonal electrophoresis and identified using recombinant somatomedin standards. The concentration of destripeptide IGF-I relative to full length IGF-I was determined by amino terminal sequencing and by bioassay. Results from these experiments indicated that the level of destripeptide IGF-I in milk from somatotropin-treated cows was less than 3% of the IGF-I concentration. Destripeptide IGF-I is therefore a minor component of the somatomedins present in milk from treated cows and does not contribute significantly to the proliferative activity of this milk.