The liquid-liquid extraction with low-temperature partitioning technique (LLE/LTP) was miniaturized to determine the pesticides chlorpyrifos, bifenthrin, λ-cyhalothrin, and deltamethrin in a biological matrix, by gas chromatography. The method was proposed for fetal-bovine serum samples (500 μL), by using a full factorial design (23) with one center point. The evaluated factors included the volume of water added to the sample (1000 μL), volume of extraction solvent (500 μL) and stirring time (60 s) – a cleanup step was not necessary. The method was validated for the main figures of merit. The results indicated that the LLE/LTP/GC/ECD miniaturized method was efficient in extracting pesticides from blood-serum samples (75 to 115%). It showed both selectivity and sensitiveness, with limits of quantification (LOQ) ranging from 8 at 17 μg L-1;. Once validated, the method was applied to blood-serum samples of rural workers from a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In that case, the presence of chlorpyrifos was detected in two of the samples.

Abstract The spittlebugs Mahanarva spectabilis economically challenges cattle production of neotropical regions, due to its voracious feeding on tropical grasses. Here, we evaluated biochemical responses of the interaction between M. spectabilis and the widely cultivated tropical grasses Brachiaria spp. (i.e., brizantha and decumbens) and elephant grasses (cvs. Roxo de Botucatu and Pioneiro), regarding lipoxygenases, protease inhibitors, phytohormones, and proteolytic activities in the midgut of M. spectabilis. The M. spectabilis-infested grasses increased lipoxygenases activity, except for cv. Pioneiro. The levels of the phytohormones jasmonic and abscisic acids were similarly low in all genotypes and increased under herbivory. Furthermore, salicylic acid concentration was constitutively higher in Brachiaria sp., increasing only in spittlebug-infested B. decumbens. M. spectabilis infestations did not induce increases of protease inhibitors in any forage grass type. The trypsin activity remained unaltered, and the total proteolytic activity increased only in B. decumbens-fed insects. Our findings revealed that most forage grasses exposed to spittlebugs activate the lipoxygenases pathway, resulting in increased abscisic and jasmonic acids. However, greater amounts of these hormones do not induce protease inhibitory activity in response to spittlebug attack. This knowledge certainly helps to guide future projects aiming at reducing the impact of spittlebugs on forage production.

Neste trabalho, avaliou-se a capacidade da planta de soja de uma cultivar comercial, IAC-100, e de um genótipo IAC-100 TN que apresenta ausência de lipoxigenases nas sementes de responderem ao ataque de mosca-branca (Bemisia argentifolii) pela via das Lipoxigenases. Foi realizada a caracterização cinética do pool de lipoxigenases. Os valores de KMapp decresceram nas plantas atacadas, sugerindo uma alteração no pool de lipoxigenases foliares. Valores similares de KMapp, entre os genótipos, indicam que a remoção de lipoxigenases de sementes não interferiram na expressão de lipoxigenases em folhas. Ocorreu aumento significativo na produção de inibidores de proteases. Com esses resultados, infere-se que a produção de inibidores de proteases está envolvida no mecanismo de defesa de soja ao ataque da mosca-branca.

This work evaluated the capacity of the soybean plant, from a commercial cultivar IAC-100 and from a genotype IAC-100 TN, with absence of lipoxygenases in their seeds, to respond to the attack by whitefly (sucking insect) by lipoxygenases pathway. The kinetic characterization of the “pool” of lipoxygenases was determined. The KMapp values decreased, suggesting a change in the “pool” of lipoxygenases in response to the attack by whitefly. The similar KMapp values suggest that the removal of the lipoxygenases from the seeds does not change the expression of LOX in the leaves. There was a noticeable increase in protease inhibitors. These results suggest that the production of protease inhibitors are involved in the defense mechanism of soybean plant against whitefly injury.