Goksu Delta is a specially protected area in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The delta is classified as a Wetland of International Importance according to the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. Increases in population have recently taken place in this region due to heavy agricultural activities and discharges of anthropogenic wastes. In the present study, frequencies of erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities such as, micronuclei (MN) and nuclear buds (NB) were investigated in peripheral blood of three fish species; Clarias gariepinus (Catfish), Alburnus orontis (Bleak), and Mugil cephalus (Mullet) from Akgol (AG) and Paradeniz (PD) lagoons of Goksu Delta. Concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb) were also measured in the water, sediment samples. MN and NA frequencies were elevated in fish from AG and PD lagoons in comparison with those from upstream regions. The results of this study indicate that the lagoons of Goksu Delta contaminated with genotoxic pollutants and that the genotoxicity is related to the agricultural activities and to the discharge of anthropogenic waste waters.
The Berdan River, which empties into the Mediterranean Sea on the east coast of Turkey, receives discharges of industrial and municipal waste. In the present study, the in vivo piscine micronucleus (MN) test was used to evaluate the genotoxicity of water samples collected from different locations along the Berdan River. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were exposed in the laboratory for 2, 4, and 6 days, and micronuclei were evaluated in peripheral blood erythrocytes, gill cells, and caudal fin epithelial cells. A single dose of 5 mg/L cyclophosphamide was used as a positive control. In addition to micronuclei, nuclear abnormalities (NAs), such as binucleated cells and blebbed, notched, and lobed nuclei, were assessed in the erythrocytes, and chemical analyses were carried out to determine the amount of heavy metals in the water samples. MN and NA frequencies were significantly elevated (up to 2- to 3-fold) in fish exposed to river water samples taken downstream of potential discharges, and the elevated responses in gill and fin cells were related to the concentration of heavy metals in the water. MN frequencies (expressed as micronucleated cells/1,000 cells), in both treated and untreated fish, were greatest in gill cells (range: 0.80-3.70), and generally lower in erythrocytes (range: 0.50-2.80), and fin cells (range: 0.45-1.70). The results of this study indicate that the Berdan River is contaminated with genotoxic pollutants and that the genotoxicity is related to the discharge of wastes into the river water.
Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are used in a wide range of applications because of their unique properties. Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO NPs) are one of the important ENPs, and they can cause negative health effects, such as genotoxicity, in humans and other living organisms. The aim of this work was to analyze the genotoxic effects of short-term (3-24 h) CeO NPs exposure to cultured human blood lymphocytes. Three genotoxicity systems "cytokinesis-block micronucleus test, comet assay, and gamma H2AX test" were used to show the genotoxic potential of CeO NPs (particle size <25 nm, concentrations: 6, 12, and 18 µg/mL). Hydrogen peroxide was selected as the positive-control genotoxic agent. Our results indicate that CeO NPs have genotoxic potential on human peripheral blood lymphocytes cells even at 3-24 h exposure under in vitro conditions.
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