Abstract
In Argentina, Chaetophractus villosus has a wide distribution that overlaps with agricultural areas where soybean is the predominant crop. In such areas the pesticide Roundup Full II® (RU) is widely applied. The genotoxic effect of its active ingredient glyphosate (RU is 66.2% glyphosate) on the peripheral blood lymphocytes of C. villosus was tested over a range of concentrations (280, 420, 560, 1120 μmol/L). Culture medium without glyphosate served as negative control, while medium containing mitomycin C served as positive control. Genetic damage was characterized in terms of the percentage of cells with chromosome aberrations (CA), the mean number of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) per cell, and the modification of cell proliferation kinetics via the calculation of the replication index. Significant increases (p < 0.0001) were seen in the CA frequency and the mean number of SCEs per cell compared to negative controls at all the RU concentrations tested. Chromatid breaks, the only form of CA observed, under the 560 μmol/L RU conditions and in presence of mitomycin C were four to five times more common than at lower concentrations, while no viable cells were seen in the 1120 μmol/L treatment. The mean number of SCEs per cell was significantly higher under the 280 μmol/L RU conditions than the 420 or 560 μmol/L RU conditions; cells cultivated in the presence of MMC also showed significantly more SCEs. All the RU concentrations tested (except in the 1120 μmol/L RU treatment [no viable cells]) induced a significant reduction in the replication index (p < 0.0001). The present results confirm the genotoxic effects of RU on C. villosus lymphocytes in vitro, strongly suggesting that exposure to RU could induce DNA damage in C. villosus wildlife.
Highlights
The introduction of transgenic crops into Argentina in the late 1990s began an agricultural transformation that included no-tillage systems [1] and the expansion of the country’s agricultural frontiers
We recently described baseline values for the mitotic index (MI), the percentage of cells with chromosome aberrations (CAs), and the mean number of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) per cell in C. villosus captured in pristine areas [20]
The present work examines the genotoxic and cytogenetic effects of Roundup Full II1 (RU) on the armadillo C. villosus, which has recently been established as a sentinel species [20], via the analysis of CAs, SCEs and the calculation of the replication index (RI)
Summary
The introduction of transgenic crops into Argentina in the late 1990s began an agricultural transformation that included no-tillage systems [1] and the expansion of the country’s agricultural frontiers. This transformation, required the intensive application of herbicides. Herbicides and other agrochemicals commonly have unwanted environmental impacts [1, 7] They may cause genetic alterations in wildlife with life-threatening physiological consequences [8, 9]. They may have teratogenic effects and reduce reproductive success [10]. The characterization of the ecotoxicological damage caused by agrochemical formulations is important
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