Immunotoxicity of commercial-mixed glyphosate in broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris)

SIROSKI, PABLO A.; POLETTA, GISELA L.; LATORRE, MA. AGUSTINA; MERCHANT, MARK E.; ORTEGA, HUGO H.; MUDRY, MARTA D.

CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS

ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 244 p. 64 - 70

0009-2797

The expansion and intensification of agriculture during thepast 50 years is unprecedented, and thus environmental problems have beentriggered at different scales. These transformations have caused the lossof habitat and biodiversity, and disruption of the structure andfunctioning of ecosystems. As a result of the expansion of theagricultural frontier in the recent past, many areas of the naturalgeographic distribution of the local wildlife, among them crocodiliansand particularly the broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris), have beenexposed to contaminants in all stages of life.The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of commerciallymixedglyphosate (RU) on some parameters of the immune system of C.latirostris. Two groups of caimans were exposed for two months todifferent concentrations of RU recommended for its application in thefield, while one group was maintained as an unexposed control. The RUconcentration was progressively decreased through the exposure period tosimulate glyphosate degradation in water. After exposure, total anddifferential white blood cell (WBC), and complement system activity (CS)were determined. In addition, the animals were injected with a solutionof lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli to trigger an immuneresponse and evaluate the parameters associated with it.The results showed that an effect of the herbicide on CS was observed, asanimals exposed to RU showed a lower CS activity than animals from thenegative control (NC) but not in WBC. In the case of leukocyte populationcounts, differences were only found for heterophils and lymphocytes.