Oxidative stress and histological changes caused by lambda-cyhalothrin on the snail Helix aspersa

Abstract

This study was interested in evaluating the toxicity of an insecticide based on lambda-
cyhalothrin, newly approved and widely used in agriculture in Algeria, on an alternative
biological model, the snail Helix aspersa.In order to achieve these objectives, we based our-
selves on the evaluation of the degree of oxidative stress by monitoring the average weight
of the snails, the level of total proteins and Glutathione-SH (GSH), as well as the enzymatic
activities of Glutathione S-transferase (GST ) and Catalase activity (CAT ) at the level of
the hepatopancreas. We performed a histopathological examination of the kidney and hep-
atopancreas.The results show that lambda-cyhalothrin causes a dose-dependent decrease
in the average weight of snails, an increase in the content of total proteins, and a decrease in
the level of GSH , in parallel with the induction of GST activities and CAT. Histopathological
examination conirmed the toxicity of lambda-cyhalothrin in Helix aspersa.