Fipronil induces apoptosis through caspase-dependent mitochondrial pathways in Drosophila S2 cells

• Fipronil induced cell death in Drosophila S2 cells through apoptotic pathways in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
• The depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and increase of ROS were contributed to the apoptosis of S2 cells.
• Apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, DIAP1, Cyt c and caspase were changed in the S2 cells.

Fipronil is the first phenylpyrazole insecticide widely used in controlling pests, including pyrethroid, organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. It is generally accepted that fipronil elicits neurotoxicity via interactions with GABA and glutamate receptors, although alternative mechanisms have recently been proposed. This study evaluates the genotoxicity of fipronil and its likely mode of action in Drosophila S2 cells, as an in vitro model. Fipronil administrated the concentration- and time-dependent S2 cell proliferation. Intracellular biochemical assays showed that fipronil-induced S2 cell apoptosis coincided with a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential and an increase reactive oxygen species generation, a significant decrease of Bcl-2 and DIAP1, and a marked augmentation of Cyt c and caspase-3. Because caspase-3 is the major executioner caspase downstream of caspase-9 in Drosophila, enzyme activity assays were used to determine the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Our results indicated that fipronil effectively induced apoptosis in Drosophila S2 cells through caspase-dependent mitochondrial pathways.

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