Abstract
Persistent pesticide transformation products (TPs) are increasingly being detected among different environmental compartments, including groundwater and surface water. However, there is no sufficient experimental data on their toxicological potential to assess the risk associated with TPs, even if their occurrence is known. In this study, the interaction of chlorophenoxy herbicides (MCPA, mecoprop, 2,4-D and dichlorprop) and their main transformation products with calf thymus DNA by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy has been assessed. Additionally, the toxicity of the chlorophenoxy herbicides and TPs was also assessed evaluating the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity. On the basis of the results found, it seems that AChE is not the main target of chlorophenoxy herbicides and their TPs. However, the results found showed that the transformation products displayed a higher inhibitory activity when compared with the parent herbicides. The results obtained in the DNA interaction studies showed, in general, a slight effect on the stability of the double helix. However, the data found for 4-chloro-2-methyl-6-nitrophenol suggest that this transformation product can interact with DNA through a noncovalent mode.
Highlights
World population is expected to grow by over a third between 2009 and 2050
The toxicity of the chlorophenoxy herbicides and transformation products (TPs) was assessed evaluating their inhibitory activity towards acetylcholinesterase
The chlorophenoxy herbicides and their transformation products were evaluated for their inhibitory activities toward Acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE), in comparison with galantamine as reference drug
Summary
World population is expected to grow by over a third between 2009 and 2050. The projections show that feeding a world population of 9.1 billion people in 2050 would require raising overall food production by about 70 percent between 2005/07 and 2050 [1]. The rate of growth in world demand for agricultural goods may lead to increased use of chemical control products since these substances can contribute considerably to increasing yields and improve farm revenues. Pesticides, a broad group of biologically active compounds used for pest management, are among the most widely used chemicals in the world and among the most dangerous to environmental and human health. There is increasing interest in their transformation products (TPs), since these by-products can play a significant role in defining the impact of pesticides on both human health and the natural ecosystems. TPs may contribute significantly to the risk posed by the parent compound (a) if they are formed with a high yield, (b) if they are more persistent or more mobile than the parent compounds, or (c) if they have higher toxicity [3]
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