The widespread use of fungicides for plant protection has increased the potential for pollinator exposure. This study therefore aimed at assessing the acute and chronic effects of fungicides on pollinators. For this purpose, the acute oral toxicity of the common fungicides azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, and boscalid to Eastern honeybee Apis cerana cerena was first evaluated, and the chronic effects on multiple aspects were investigated after exposure to a one-tenth medium lethal dose (LD₅₀) for 10 days. This study revealed that the LD₅₀ values of azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin and boscalid for adult Eastern honeybees were 12.7 μg/bee, 36.6 μg/bee, and >119 μg/bee, respectively. Midgut epithelial cells revealed that fungicide exposure caused increased intercellular spaces and varying degrees of vacuolization. Exposure to these three fungicides and their binary mixtures significantly affected glycerophospholipid, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism in Eastern honeybee midguts. Additionally, the relative composition of Lactobacillus, the dominant functional genus in Eastern honeybee guts decreased and microbial balance was disrupted. All fungicides and their mixtures induced strong transcriptional upregulation of genes associated with the immune response and encoding enzymes related to oxidative phosphorylation and metabolism, including abaecin, apidaecin, hymenotaecin, cyp4c3, cyp6a2 and hbg3. Our study provides important insight for understanding the effects of commonly used fungicides on nontarget pollinator and contributes to a more comprehensive assessment of fungicide effects on ecological and environmental safety.

There is a growing risk of pollinators being exposed to multiple fungicides due to the widespread use of fungicides for plant protection. A safety assessment of honeybees exposed to multiple commonly used fungicides is urgently required. Therefore, the acute oral toxicity of the ternary mixed fungicide of ABP (azoxystrobin: boscalid: pyraclostrobin = 1:1:1, m/m/m) was tested on honeybees (Apis cerana cerana), and its sublethal effect on foragers’ guts was evaluated. The results showed that the acute oral median lethal concentration (LD₅₀) of ABP for foragers was 12.6 μg a.i./bee. ABP caused disorder of the morphological structure of midgut tissue and affected the intestinal metabolism; the composition and structure of the intestinal microbial community was perturbed, which altered its function. Moreover, the transcripts of genes involved in detoxification and immunity were strongly upregulated with ABP treatment. The study implies that exposure to a fungicide mixture of ABP can cause a series of negative effects on the health of foragers. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the comprehensive effects of common fungicides on non-target pollinators in the context of ecological risk assessment and the future use of fungicides in agriculture.

Background: Indigenous chickens were developed through a combination of natural and artificial selection; essentially, changes in genomes led to the formation of these modern breeds via admixture events. However, their confusing genetic backgrounds include a genomic footprint regulating complex traits, which is not conducive to modern animal breeding. Results: To better evaluate the candidate regions under domestication in indigenous chickens, we considered both runs of homozygosity (ROHs) and selective signatures in 13 indigenous chickens. The genomes of Silkie feather chickens presented the highest heterozygosity, whereas the highest inbreeding status and ROH number were found in Luhua chickens. Short ROH (< 1 Mb), were the principal type in all chickens. A total of 291 ROH islands were detected, and QTLdb mapping results indicated that body weight and carcass traits were the most important traits. An ROH on chromosome 2 covering VSTM2A gene was detected in 12 populations. Combined analysis with the Tajima’s D index revealed that 18 genes (e.g., VSTM2A, BBOX1, and RYR2) were under selection and covered by ROH islands. Transcriptional analysis results showed that RYR2 and BBOX1 were specifically expressed in the heart and muscle tissue, respectively. Conclusion: Based on genome-wide scanning for ROH and selective signatures, we evaluated the genomic characteristics and detected significant candidate genes covered by ROH islands and selective signatures. The findings in this study facilitated the understanding of genetic diversity and provided valuable insights for chicken breeding and conservation strategies.

Graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) have attracted substantial attention in numerous fields due to their unique physicochemical properties. However, their nanotoxicity and potential for use in biomedicine still require further study. In this work, the effects of GOQD and trans- 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) cotreatment on the immune function of macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) were investigated. In particular, LC/MS-based metabolomics was performed to evaluate the effects of GOQDs on the metabolism of LPS-stimulated macrophages. Herein, we fabricated GOQDs with good dispersibility and a uniform size distribution of approximately 7 nm using a polyimide-pyrolyzed carbon film as the working electrode, a high-voltage graphite electrode as the cathode, and H₂O₂ as the oxidant. The GOQDs entered the macrophages and emitted green fluorescence under UV irradiation. Cotreatment with GOQDs and 10-HDA induced RAW 264.7 cell proliferation. GOQDs promoted the anti-inflammatory effect of 10-HDA on LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and attenuated the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. The metabolites in RAW264.7 cells treated with GOQDs were significantly different from those in RAW264.7 cells treated with LPS. The enrichment analysis showed that treatment with GOQDs interfered with amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism. Our results demonstrate the role of GOQDs in macrophages and provide a basis for their further application in biomedical fields.

Background. Recent experimental studies have shown that vegetable oil supplementation ameliorates high‐fat diet‐ (HFD‐) induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress in mice via modulating hepatic lipid metabolism and the composition of the gut microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the Torreya grandis kernel oil (TKO) rich in unpolysaturated fatty acid against hyperlipidemia and gain a deep insight into its potential mechanisms. Methods. Normal mice were randomly divided into three groups: ND (normal diet), LO (normal diet supplement with 4% TKO), and HO (normal diet supplement with 8% TKO). Hyperlipidemia mice were randomly divided into two groups: HFN (normal diet) and HFO (normal diet supplement with 8% TKO). Blood biochemistry and histomorphology were observed; liver RNA‐seq, metabolomics, and gut 16S rRNA were analyzed. Results. Continuous supplementation of TKO in normal mice significantly ameliorated serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), and free fatty acid (FFA) accumulation, decreased blood glucose and malondialdehyde (MDA), and enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) levels. According to GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid pathways, and significantly changed metabolites (SCMs) might be involved in the metabolism of lipids. High‐dose TKO improved gut alpha diversity and beta diversity showing that the microbial community compositions of the five groups were different. Conclusion. Supplementation of TKO functions in the prevention of hyperlipidemia via regulating hepatic lipid metabolism and enhancing microbiota richness in normal mice. Our study is the first to reveal the mechanism of TKO regulating blood lipid levels by using multiomics and promote further studies on TKO for their biological activity.

Honey bees are important pollinators of wild plants and crops. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous regulators of gene expression. In this study, we initially determined that the lethal concentration 50 (LC₅₀) of dinotefuran was 0.773 mg/l. Then, the expression profiles and differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) in honey bee brains after 1, 5, and 10 d of treatment with the lethal concentration 10 (LC₁₀) of dinotefuran were explored via deep small-RNA sequencing and bioinformatics. In total, 2, 23, and 27 DE miRNAs were identified after persistent exposure to the LC₁₀ of dinotefuran for 1, 5, and 10 d, respectively. Some abundant miRNAs, such as ame-miR-375-3p, ame-miR-281-5p, ame-miR-3786-3p, ame-miR-10-5p, and ame-miR-6037-3p, were extremely significantly differentially expressed. Enrichment analysis suggested that the candidate target genes of the DE miRNAs are involved in the regulation of biological processes, cellular processes, and behaviors. These results expand our understanding of the regulatory roles of miRNAs in honey bee Apis mellifera (Hymenopptera: Apidae) responses to neonicotinoid insecticides and facilitate further studies on the functions of miRNAs in honey bees.