Comparative Toxicity of Nitenpyrem and Neem Oil Against Amrasca biguttula biguttula in Okra

The Jassid, Amarasca bigutulla bigutullaa is an important sucking pest of the okra crop. An experimental study was conducted during 2018 to check the comparative toxicity of nitenpyrem and neem oil against jassid under okra field conditions. The study revealed that 24 hours after treatment, nitenpyrem was found more toxic and effective with maximum reduction of jassid population (72.15%). Whereas, 120 hours after treatment with 4% neem oil, 15.05% jassid reduction was observed. The mortality rate of the jassid was increased with increasing in time after application of chemical insecticides. The study concluded that insecticide was most toxic and gives higher mortality of jassid as compared to neem oil. Keywords: Abelmoschus esculentus, Malvaceae, Amarasca bigutulla bigutullaa, botanicals, insecticides, Pakistan

Comparative Toxicity, Biodistribution and Excretion of Ultra-Small Gold Nanoclusters with Different Emission Wavelengths

The exponentially increased use of gold nanoclusters in diagnosis and treatment has raised serious concern about their potential threat to living organisms. However, the mechanisms of toxicity of gold nanoclusters in vitro and in vivo remain poorly understood. In this work, comparative toxicity studies, including biodistribution and excretion, were carried out with mildly and chemically synthesized ultra-small L-histidine-protected and bovine serum albumin (BSA)-protected gold nanoclusters in an all-aqueous process. These nanoclusters did not induce a remarkable impact on cell viability, even at relatively high concentrations (100 μg/mL). The haemolytic assay demonstrated that the gold nanoclusters could not destroy blood cell at 600 μg/mL. After intravenous injection with mice, the biocompatibility, biodistribution, and excretion were determined. Quantitative analysis results showed that accumulation varied in the liver, spleen, kidney, and lung, though primarily in the liver and spleen. They were excreted in urine and faeces, but mainly excreted through urine. In our study, no obvious abnormalities were found in body weight, behavioral changes, blood and serum biochemical indicators, and histopathology. These findings suggested that both gold nanoclusters showed similar effects in vivo and were safe and biocompatible, laying the foundation for safe biomedical application in the future.