The cytotoxic effects of spinetoram on human HepG2 cells by inducing DNA damage and mitochondria-associated apoptosis

ABSTRACT Spinetoram has been widely used in agriculture due to its target specificity. However, it has not been paid enough attention to the health threats of humans. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of the Spinetoram in human liver cells in vitro. We demonstrated that the viability of HepG2 cells was inhibited by spinetoram in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Intracellular biochemical assays revealed that Spinetoram-induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells was concurrent with a number of activated cell processes, including DNA damage, decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, marked activation of caspase-9/-3 and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and up-regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 expression levels. These results indicated that a mitochondrial-mediated pathway contributes to the apoptosis of Spinetoram-induced in HepG2 cells. In summary, this study shows that spinetoram poses a potential risk to human health by inducing DNA damage and mitochondria-associated apoptosis