Effect of D-allethrin on proteinase activity in the midgut of the spider Pardosa pseudoannulata detected by bulk acoustic wave impedance technique

The piezoelectric bulk acoustic wave (BAW) impedance analysis method was employed to monitor in situ the proteinase-catalyzed hydrolyzation of casein and the effect of pesticide D-allethrin on the proteinase activity in the midgut of the spider Pardosa pseudoannulata, and the results obtained were verified by ultraviolet spectroscopy. The hydrolyzation was significantly increased in the presence of low-dose D-allethrin, whereas significantly inhibited in the presence of high-dose D-allethrin, and a correlation was found precisely between the enzyme activity reflected by the final frequency shift after the hydrolyzation and the concentration of D-allethrin, with a significant frequency response observed even at a 1.5×10-5 volume ratio of D-allethrin to distilled water. The present work may have presented a novel method feasible for study on the mechanism of excitability of spiders under low-dose D-allethrin pesticide and quick detection of proteinase activity.