D3201: Impacts of dietary phytochemicals against Fipronil in learning, memory and motor activity of honey bees

Bee population has decreased worldwide due to the negative impact of pesticides used in agriculture. Honey bees are exposed to pesticides such as fipronil applied for crop protection and sublethal exposure leads to a decrease of bees. Fipronil impact the nervous system of bees, leading to cognitive and motor impairment. Affected cognitive processes include learning, memory and navigation, presumably due to effects on the brain circuits. In the bee brain, fipronil targets areas such as the mushroom bodies, centers underlying learning, memory and decision making. Accordingly, exposures to fipronil decreases abilities, such as learning and memory, motor activity and resource assessment.
In this context, pharmacologically protecting bees from the impact of fipronil is a key approach hat supporting food security. We have discovered that oral administration of phytochemicals such as p-coumaric acid, kaempferol and rutin protects cognitive and motor impairment in honey bees exposed to realistic doses of fipronil. Honey bees treated prophylactically with rutin, p-coumaric acid or composition of phytochemicals, and subsequently exposed to fipronil, exhibited protection of learning and memory, with performances that did not differ from non-exposed bees.
In contrast, bees exposed to fipronil exhibited a impairment in learning, memory and motor activity. Interestingly, bees treated with phytochemicals, show a normal motor activity after the exposition to fipronil. Our results indicate that phytochemicals improve the cognitive and motor processes of honey bees after had exposure to fipronil. This allow us to explore nutritional and pharmacological alternatives that can have a significant impact on the health of bees.