Abstract
Increased use of domestic and agricultural pesticides has become a serious threat to the environment. Prolonged exposure to pesticides is capable of affecting the genetic integrity of humans and other animals. The aim of this study is to access the effect of dichlorvos (DDVP), a widely used pesticide in Nigeria, on the DNA of poultry birds (Gallus domestica). This study explored different special representation of treated groups using a three-patch matrix model incorporating dichlorvos contamination (0.01, 0.02 and 0.4%). Exposure was carried out for ten weeks after which the birds were sacrificed and the liver was extracted. Thermal denaturation of the DNA from the exposed birds resulted in a significant reduction (p< 0.01) in the DNA melting temperature from 87.2oC to 81.7oC while the GC/AT ratio was also significantly reduced (p<0.01) from 0.77 in the control to 0.42 in exposed birds respectively. Electrophoresis of isolated DNA in 0.8% agarose gels gave variations in band intensity between the control DNA sample and DNA from exposed birds. These variations in band intensity were more pronounced in the RAPD-PCR products amplified with OPE-01 primer, where there is complete disappearance of DNA bands in the birds exposed to 0.04% pesticide. Thus deletion of DNA segments of birds exposed to dichlorvos can be modelled as a molecular biomarker of genotoxicity. This may also suggest that insecticides are capable of impacting genotoxic effects on non-target populations with consistent, long-term use.
Highlights
Pesticides are one of the most potentially harmful chemicals introduced into the environment
There was significant reduction (p< 0.01) in the DNA melting temperature from 87.2% in the control to 81.7 % in birds exposed to the pesticide
Results of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR analysis shows that there were variations in band intensity between the control DNA sample and those exposed to pesticide
Summary
Pesticides are one of the most potentially harmful chemicals introduced into the environment. They have contributed considerably to human welfare, their adverse impacts on non-target organisms are significant (Hazarika and Das, 1998; John, 2007). Exposure to environmental xenobiotics, including pesticides, has the ability to cause DNA damage through the formation of strand breaks and DNAadducts. Many in vitro and in vivo studies, as well as epidemiological approaches, have demonstrated the ability of certain chemical pesticides to produce genetic effects including cancer and other chronic pathologies in humans (Bolognesi et al 1981). A number of DNA based assays have been used for in vitro study of effects of pesticides.
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