Pollution, chemicals in the water and its effect on embryonic development

ESPINOSA MARÍA B.

Congreso; Pew Program in the Biomedical Sciences - Meeting; 2014

Water pollution is a matter of concern around the world for its impact, environmental and on human health. Multicellular organisms require the apoptosis and mitosis in balance. If balance between proliferation and cell death is disturbed, the embryo may develop abnormally and the adult organism can develop cancer. We propose that teratogenesis is a result of the imbalance between apoptosis and mitosis during embryonic development because the apoptosis is inadequately triggered by an extrinsic signal. Research in my laboratory is focused on the study of the apoptotic pathway during embryonic development under the effect of environmental pollutants present in water, especially those related to nitrogen. Publications point the presence of many pollutants in water in rural and urban areas. Reports released by INTA indicate that pollutants linked to nitrogen (NO3- / NO2-) and phosphorus are those that most affect us locally.