Oxidative stress effects of abamectin and hematoporphyrin with the antioxidant efficiency in the cotton leaf worm, Spodoptera littoralis (Biosd.)

Effects of abamectin andhematoporphyrin (HP), eco-friendly insecticides, on theconcentration of the oxidative stress indicator malondialdehyde (MDA) and onthe antioxidant enzymes; catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase(GST); activity were studied in the 4th instar larvae of Spodopteralittoralis (Biosd.). There effects on glutathione (GSH) level were alsoinvestigated. MDA content was significantly increased on the 1st daypost treatment of both insecticides, but increased significantly only with HPtreatment on the 5th day of treatment. Abamectin treatment decreasedGSH significantly on the 3rd and 4th days, while HPtreatment increased its level on the 1st and 2nd day posttreatment. Activities of antioxidantenzymes, CAT and GST, did not show a consistent pattern with respect toabamectin and HP. These results suggest that exposure to abamectin and HPresulted in impaired enzymatic antioxidant defense capacity in 4thinstar S. littoralis larval tissues.