Abstract
Chlorpyrifos is a commonly used pesticide of organophosphate group, which causes toxicological effects in non-target organisms especially fish and frogs. In the present study, the genotoxicity of sublethal concentrations of chlorpyrifos was observed in the erythrocytes of common Indus valley toad, Bufo stomaticus, using the Alkaline Single-Cell Gel Electrophoresis (Comet) assay. In the first step, acute toxicity of chlorpyrifos was evaluated by exposing the tadpoles to high concentrations of the pesticide. The acute LC50 value of chlorpyrifos, calculated by Trimmed Spearman-Karber (TSK) in static bioassay, was found to be 930.0 μg/L. On the basis of acute LC50 value, the tadpoles were exposed to three sublethal concentrations (155, 233 and 465 μg/L) of chlorpyrifos for 96 h. Blood cells were collected at every 24 h interval and were subjected to the Alkaline Single-Cell Gel Electrophoresis assay. The observed DNA damage was concentration and time-dependent, and those levels of DNA damage in between the tested concentrations and times were significantly different (p Bufo stomaticus.
Highlights
Pesticides are widely used in agricultural areas to improve the crop yield, but the indiscriminate use of these chemicals in the environment causes toxicity to the non-target organisms
Erythrocytes of the Bufo stomaticus tadpoles were used to assess the genotoxicity of chlorpyrifos using the comet assay
Higher (p < 0.05) levels of DNA damage were observed in the erythrocytes of tadpoles exposed to all the three sublethal concentrations of chlorpyrifos relative to the negative control (Table 1)
Summary
Pesticides are widely used in agricultural areas to improve the crop yield, but the indiscriminate use of these chemicals in the environment causes toxicity to the non-target organisms. These pesticides tend to reach into the adjacent small water bodies (e.g., ponds, creeks, and drainage ditches) and may exhibit toxicity and genotoxicity to aquatic organisms. Chlorpyrifos [O,O-diethyl O-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate] is a wide-ranging organophosphate insecticide used to control the agricultural and household pests [1]. It inhibits the acetylcholine esterase (AChE) enzyme and affects the nervous system of the aquatic organisms [2]. These chemicals have negative impacts on the physiology of organisms and interact with their DNA [5]
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