Nauphoeta cinerea as a useful model organism in insecticide research Abiola J Oladepo, Stanley U Nwawuba, Khadija A Mohammed, Adeola A Adeoye, Umin-Awaji S Godswill, et al. Toxicology Research, 2026 Insects have played crucial beneficial roles in promoting the health of both humans and livestock. Additionally, they are vital for agriculture and the maintenance of ecosystems. Some insect species, however, transmit diseases and damage crops. Hence, insecticides are widely deployed to manage their adverse impacts. Insecticides, especially the synthetic forms, harm non-target organisms and the environment. Hence, more research should be directed at the discovery of biotic and ecologically friendly insecticides. Nauphoeta cinerea is increasingly recognized as a useful model organism for evaluating the lethality and toxicological impact of insecticides. This review examines recent studies on the toxicity and molecular mechanisms of both synthetic and biotic insecticides in the Nauphoeta cinerea model. We examined a wide range of insecticidal agents, including plant extracts like jack bean urease, Araucaria angustifolia methanolic extract, microbial extract like anatoxin-a, which elicit significant neurotoxicological consequences marked by acetylcholinesterase inhibition, disruption of ion channels, and modulation of neurotransmitters. Animal-derived secretions from Rhinella species induce potent cardiac and synaptic toxicity due to bufadienolides. Similarly, synthetic insecticides like fipronil and chlorpyrifos induce acetylcholinesterase inhibition, neuromuscular dysfunction, and oxidative stress in the N. cinerea model. Overall, this review highlights the value of N. cinerea as a toxicological model for evaluating lethality, ecological safety, and the mechanisms of action of different insecticidal compounds. It also demonstrates its significance in the discovery and assessment of new insecticidal agents.
Impact of chronic exposure to ternary metal mixtures on behavioral and cellular responses in Nauphoeta cinerea nymphs Gbemisola T Oyedele, Oyepeju D Atarase, Adeboye A Olaseni, Joao B T Rocha, Isaac A Adedara, et al. Environmental Entomology, 2025 There is a growing concern about the impact of environmental contamination by metals on insects owing to their biodiversity and important ecological roles. We investigated the neurobehavioral traits, cellular responses, and levels of metals in tissues of Nauphoeta cinerea nymphs exposed, separately and in ternary mixtures, to arsenic (15 and 7.5 mg/L), copper (15 and 7.5 mg/L), and zinc (100 and 50 µg/L), in drinking water for 35 consecutive days. Results showed that the diminutions in locomotor parameters (maximum speed, motility time, and distance traveled), motor and turning capabilities (path efficiency, turn angle, and body rotation) and the increase in anxiety-like behavior (total time freezing and freezing episodes) were more pronounced in individual metal exposure than triple metal mixtures groups. Barring zinc alone group, acetylcholinesterase activity decreased significantly in all the treatment groups compared to the control. The diminutions in glutathione level and antioxidant enzyme activities were partially attenuated in the fat body, midgut, and head of insects in the triple metal mixtures groups. Further, the levels of nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species were higher in individual metal exposed insects than the ternary mixture groups. The concentrations of arsenic, copper, and zinc in the fat body, midgut, and head of insects were significantly higher in individual metal exposure groups than the ternary metal mixtures groups. Collectively, the detrimental effects of elevated ecological concentrations of arsenic, copper, and zinc were more pronounced in insects exposed to individual metal than those in ternary mixtures groups.
Nauphoeta cinerea as a useful model organism in insecticide research AJ Oladepo, SU Nwawuba, KA Mohammed, AA Adeoye, UAS Godswill, ... Toxicology Research 15 (2), tfag029 , 2026 2026
Acute carbendazim toxicity and recovery effect in midgut and head of non-target adult lobster cockroach ( Nauphoeta cinerea ) GT Oyedele, AA Olaseni, CK Jimoh, CN Ikeji, BO Ajayi, JBT Rocha, ... Environmental Science and Pollution Research 32 (29), 17747-17759 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Impact of chronic exposure to ternary metal mixtures on behavioral and cellular responses in Nauphoeta cinerea nymphs GT Oyedele, OD Atarase, AA Olaseni, JBT Rocha, IA Adedara, ... Environmental Entomology 54 (3), 409-420 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Chronic carbendazim exposure disrupts behavioral responses and redox-regulatory mechanisms in non-target detritivore Nauphoeta cinerea nymphs AA Olaseni, GT Oyedele, CN Ikeji, CK Jimoh, BO Ajayi, JBT Rocha, ... Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 113, 104618 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Persistent oxidative injury and neurobehavioral impairment in adult male and female Nauphoeta cinerea exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid AA Babalola, KA Mohammed, AA Olaseni, GT Oyedele, IA Adedara, ... Environmental toxicology and pharmacology 100, 104135 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Persistent oxidative injury and neurobehavioral impairment in adult male and female Nauphoeta cinerea exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid AA Babalola, KA Mohammed, AA Olaseni, GT Oyedele, IA Adedara, ... Environmental toxicology and pharmacology 100, 104135 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Chronic carbendazim exposure disrupts behavioral responses and redox-regulatory mechanisms in non-target detritivore Nauphoeta cinerea nymphs AA Olaseni, GT Oyedele, CN Ikeji, CK Jimoh, BO Ajayi, JBT Rocha, ... Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 113, 104618 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Impact of chronic exposure to ternary metal mixtures on behavioral and cellular responses in Nauphoeta cinerea nymphs GT Oyedele, OD Atarase, AA Olaseni, JBT Rocha, IA Adedara, ... Environmental Entomology 54 (3), 409-420 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Acute carbendazim toxicity and recovery effect in midgut and head of non-target adult lobster cockroach ( Nauphoeta cinerea ) GT Oyedele, AA Olaseni, CK Jimoh, CN Ikeji, BO Ajayi, JBT Rocha, ... Environmental Science and Pollution Research 32 (29), 17747-17759 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Nauphoeta cinerea as a useful model organism in insecticide research AJ Oladepo, SU Nwawuba, KA Mohammed, AA Adeoye, UAS Godswill, ... Toxicology Research 15 (2), tfag029 , 2026 2026
