The occurence and mechanisms of hormesis in insects exposed to sublethal doses of insecticide

毒理学从一开始就受到这样一个原则的指导，即存在一个剂量反应阈值，在该阈值之上，化学品接触会引起生物效应，在该阈值之下则不会发生任何生物效应。 虽然这一原则一直是毒理学所有方面的基石，并且对于确定化学品的有害接触限值和有效剂量非常宝贵，但现在有非常强有力的证据支持发生毒物兴奋效应，即以低剂量刺激和高剂量抑制生物效应为特征的化学反应。 Hormesis（希腊语单词“兴奋”之后）已被记录为广泛的生物体，终点和物理/化学应激源，并引起了各种学科研究人员的兴趣，主要是那些研究人类风险评估和生物医学科学的人（例如肿瘤学和衰老研究）。 然而，研究环境毒素对无脊椎动物种群影响的科学家对这一现象的研究较少，特别是在长期内。

Since their inception, the toxicological sciences have generally been guided by the tenet that there is a dose-response threshold above which chemical exposures induce a biological effect, and below which none occurs. Although this principle has been a cornerstone of all facets of toxicology and has been invaluable for establishment of harmful exposure limits and effective doses of chemicals, there is now very strong support for the occurrence of hormesis, chemical response characterized by low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition of biological effects. Hormesis (after the Greek word 'to excite') has been documented for a wide range of organisms, endpoints and physical/chemical stressors, and has garnered interest from researchers in a variety of disciplines, mainly those who study human risk assessment and the biomedical sciences (e.g. oncology and the study of aging). However, the phenomenon has been less studied by scientists who examine effects of environmental toxins on invertebrate populations, particularly over the long term.