Induction of micronuclei in broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) hatchlings exposed in vivo to Roundup (glyphosate) concentrations used in agriculture

LÓPEZ GONZÁLEZ EVELYN C.; LATORRE MARÍA AGUSTINA; LARRIERA ALEJANDRO; SIROSKI PABLO A.; POLETTA GISELA L.

PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2013 vol. 105 p. 131 - 134

0048-3575

Caiman latirostris is one of the two crocodilian species living in Argentina. As a result of agriculturalexpansion produced in recent years, some populations are exposed to continuous pesticide dischargedue to the proximity of its natural geographic distribution to extensive agricultural areas. The aim of thisstudy was to evaluate genotoxicity and the effects on growth of Roundup (RU; glyphosate basedformulation) on C. latirostris hatchlings, considering concentrations commonly applied in crops andsubsequently decay of the compound in water through time, as it might occur in the environment.C. latirostris 20 days old, from three different clutches, were exposed to two RU concentrations in plasticcontainers, during two months. RU concentration was progressively decreased through time, so experimentalgroups were: treatment 1: 11 mg/l (concentration at the beginning) to 2.5 mg/l (concentrationat the end of experiment), treatment 2: 21 mg/l to 5 mg/l; and a control without RU. At the end of exposureperiod, blood samples were obtained and the micronucleus (MN) test applied in erythrocytes as amarker of genotoxicity. Results indicated a significant increase in the frequency of MN (p < 0.05) and atendency to lower growth in the groups exposed to RU compared to the negative control. These results,together with those reported in previous studies; warn about the effect that C. latirostris wild populationscontinuously exposed to low concentrations of pesticides might be suffering.