Comparative Investigation of Genotoxic Activity of Glyphosate Technical Products in the Micronucleus Test in Vivo

Abstract

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. In recent years, there have been concerns about the possible mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of this pesticide. In this connection, the study of genotoxic and carcinogenic properties of glyphosate and glyphosate-containing preparations has been resumed in a number of countries. In this study, the induction of micronucleation formation in vivo in polychromatophilic erythrocytes of bone marrow of CD-1 mice was assessed by the action of three different technical glyphosate products entering the Russian Federation. It was found that the tested samples of technical products showed different cytogenetic activity, while only one of them caused a statistically significant, dose-dependent increase in the frequency of induction of micronuclei compared to the negative control. The analysis of the composition of the studied product samples showed that the cytogenetic activity may depend on the content of potentially mutagenic impurities, in particular formaldehyde. The obtained data are additional grounds for lowering the upper limit of formaldehyde content in technical products of glyphosate and also indicate the need to assess the genotoxic activity of analog pesticides entering the market of plant protection products.