부산대학교 도서관

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2005.05.002 Byline: D. Habes (a), S. Morakchi (a), N. Aribi (a), J.-P. Farine (b), N. Soltani (a) Keywords: Blattella germanica; Pesticides; Boric acid; Midgut; Acetylcholinesterase; Glutathione S-transferase Abstract: Oral toxicity of boric acid, an inorganic insecticide, was evaluated on German cockroach, Blattella germanica L. (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae). Newly emerged adults were exposed to various concentrations of boric acid incorporated into the diet. Results showed that treated insects exhibited toxic symptoms with a dose-dependent mortality. Histological study of midgut revealed alterations in the epithelial cells and a significant increase in the epithelium thickness. In a second series of experiments, the compound was investigated on the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). Data showed that the compound induced GSTs and reduced the activity of AChE. From this experiment, it may be concluded that ingested boric acid caused death of insects perhaps ultimately by starvation via alterations of the midgut. Additionally, the compound seemed to present a neurotoxic action as evidenced by the symptoms of poisoning and the reduction in AchE activity. Author Affiliation: (a) Laboratoire de Biologie Animale Appliquee, Departement de Biologie, Universite de Annaba, 23000 Annaba, Algeria (b) Laboratoire de Communication Chimique, CNRS-UMR 5548, Faculte des Sciences Gabriel, Universite de Bourgogne, 21000 Dijon, France Article History: Received 8 March 2005; Accepted 10 May 2005