Genotoxic effects of Cyproterone Acetate in Lithobates catesbeianus tadpoles (Anura)

FRANCO-BELUSSI, L.; GREGORIO, L.; OLIVEIRA, C.; GOLDBERG, J.

Congreso; XVIII Congreso Argentino de Herpetología; 2017

Water contamination is increasing worldwide, especially due toanthropogenic actions. The exposure to contaminants is one of the factors contributingto amphibians? population decline. The Cyproterone Acetate (CPA) is anendocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) used in several medicines such ascontraceptives. This compound can contaminate water bodies through depositionof sewage effluents, reaching several aquatic species. Studies with rats suggestthat CPA has genotoxic potential, causing DNA damage. Thus, the aim of thisstudy was to evaluate genotoxic effects of CPA in L. catesbeianus tadpoles (Gosner 25). We used 20 tadpoles, separatedin four groups (N=5). For 28 days,three treated groups were exposed to CPA in environmental concentrations of 0.025,0.25 and 2.5 ng/L, while the control group was not exposed to any compound. Thewater was changed each 2 days, also when food was supplied. After theexperiment the animals were euthanized in benzocaine (5 g/L) and decapitated tocollect the blood. The blood slides were stained with Giemsa (7.5%) to evaluatethe nuclear abnormalities of the erythrocytes. The data were tested with ANOVAOne-Way, considering 5% significance. The nuclear abnormalities quantified weremicronucleus, BUDs, binucleated, anucleated and apoptotic cells, which weresummed for each animal to compare between groups. All treated groups had anincrease in the abnormalities (F=28.18; P<0.01) and, besides, in controlgroup it was not observed anucleated and apoptotic cells. In this study weobserved severe effects in extremely low concentrations, indicating that CPAcan compromise the aquatic biodiversity, possibly contributing to amphibiandecline.