GENOTOXIC ANALYSIS OF WATER IN THE AREA "LA REPRESITA" INHABITED BY HUARPE NATIVE COMMUNITY IN SAN LUIS

CANGIANO MA, MOGLIA M, GALLARDO L, GONZALEZ SP, ENRIZ RD

Mendoza

Congreso; XXXI Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2013

Area "La Represita", located in center west of San Luis, in the limit of San Juan province, is inhabited by Huarpe native community. This area possesses two important contributions of water, an artificial pond and the tributary of Desaguadero River. The information available about the water quality in this area indicates that it is not optimal for human consumption due to high salinity and the presence of arsenic. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the characteristics of the water in the area of "La Represita". A genotoxic analysis was performed using the Allium cepa bioassay. Samples of water from the pond and Desaguadero River were collected in April and July 2013. Distilled water was used as control and the water from both contributions, artificial pond and Desaguadero River, as experimental, for quadrupled. A. cepa bioassay was perfomed following the standard procedure. Approximately 5000 cells were analyzed per treatment. Cytogenetic analysis in Desaguadero River samples indicated a cytotoxic and cytostatic effect caused by the high salinity of the water. Water pond samples showed several chromosome aberrations: C-mitotic, sticky chromosomes, loose chromosomes, anaphases multipolar, micronuclei, among others. These results indicate that the level of arsenic found in the pond samples could produce genotoxic, clastogenic and mutagenic effects in the analyzed cell population.