Toxicity Assessment of Cyclic Imides and Carbofuran in the Management of <i>Meloidogyne incognita</i> : In Vivo and In Silico Studies

Rat model systems were employed to appraise the possible toxicity of cyclic imides in contrast to carbofuran. Hepato-renal toxicity, hepatotoxicity, electrolytes, haematological indices and distortion to the histological architecture of liver and kidneys were assessed with evaluation of in silico inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by the imides. Forty albino rats were divided into eight groups and fed a basal pellet diet for 30 days with 75 mg/mL of imides on a daily basis. This was compared with the carbofuran-fed and control groups. A significant (p < 0.05) increase was observed in the concentration of bilirubin, urea, uric acid, creatinine, sodium ion, chloride ion, potassium ion, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and serum aspartate amino transferase (AST) in animals administered with carbofuran, but parameters like albumin, kidney ALP, liver ALP, kidney ALT, liver ALT, kidney AST, liver AST, kidney Gamma (ϒ)-Glutamyl transferase (GGT) and liver ϒ-GGT were significantly (p < 0.05) low in carbofuran fed group compared with the control. Likewise, haematological alterations including low % lymphocytes, higher platelet count and high white blood cell count were recorded in contrast to the control group. The histo-architecture of the liver and kidneys exhibited mild inflammation in some cases. Mild perturbations, though within clinical limits, were observed in some of the animals treated with cyclic imides. The strength of imides as AChE inhibitors was substantiated by an in silico mechanism, depicting the binding affinity of imides. The use of cyclic imides in M. incognita management does not entail any critical concern for toxicity. Cyclic imides could be employed in the control of M. incognita without any major safety compromise.