Synthetic Pesticides Used in Agricultural Production Promote Genetic Instability and Metabolic Variability in <i>Candida</i> spp.

• Main Authors: Leszek Potocki, Aleksandra Baran, Bernadetta Oklejewicz, Ewa Szpyrka, Magdalena Podbielska, Viera Schwarzbacherová
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Genes
• Subjects: <i>Candida</i>; pesticide; metabolic activity; genetic damage; cell growth
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/8/848

The effects of triazole fungicide Tango^® (epoxiconazole) and two neonicotinoid insecticide formulations Mospilan^® (acetamiprid) and Calypso^® (thiacloprid) were investigated in <i>Candida albicans</i> and three non-albicans species <i>Candida pulcherrima, Candida glabrata</i> and <i>Candida tropicalis</i> to assess the range of morphological, metabolic and genetic changes after their exposure to pesticides. Moreover, the bioavailability of pesticides, which gives us information about their metabolization was assessed using gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS). The tested pesticides caused differences between the cells of the same species in the studied populations in response to ROS accumulation, the level of DNA damage, changes in fatty acids (FAs) and phospholipid profiles, change in the percentage of unsaturated to saturated FAs or the ability to biofilm. In addition, for the first time, the effect of tested neonicotinoid insecticides on the change of metabolic profile of colony cells during aging was demonstrated. Our data suggest that widely used pesticides, including insecticides, may increase cellular diversity in the <i>Candida</i> species population-known as clonal heterogeneity-and thus play an important role in acquiring resistance to antifungal agents.