Comparison of the in vivo and in vitro genotoxicity of glyphosate isopropylamine salt in three different organisms

Abstract

There is considerable controversy with regard to the genotoxicity of glyphosate, with some reports stating that this compound is non-toxic for fish, birds and mammals. In this work, we used the comet assay to examine the genotoxicity of glyphosate isopropylamine (0.7, 7, 70 and 700 μM) in human lymphocytes, erythrocytes of Oreochromis niloticus and staminal nuclei of Tradescantia (4430) in vitro and in vivo. Cells, nuclei and fish that had and had not been exposed to 5 mM N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Significant (p < 0.01) genetic damage was observed in vivo and in vitro in all cell types and organisms tested. Human lymphocytes and Tradescantia hairs showed lower genetic damage in vivo compared to in vitro, possibly because of efficient metabolization of the herbicide. In O. niloticus erythrocytes, significant (p < 0.001) genotoxicity was observed at ≥ 7 μM, whereas in vitro, glyphosphate was genotoxic in human lymphocytes and Tradescantia hairs at ≥ 0.7 μM. These results indicate that glyphosate is genotoxic in the cells and organisms studied at concentrations of 0.7–7 μM.

Association between Cancer and Environmental Exposure to Glyphosate

“…Studies of glyphosate genotoxicity emphasize the occurrence of damage to the DNA strands that when not repaired nor the cell removed, can lead to cell mutations that are the start of biological onset of cancer [22] [23] [24] [25]. So far, epidemiological and experimental evidence shows that structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations (CAs) generated by genotoxic agents are involved in carcinogenesis [26].…”

Re-registration Challenges of Glyphosate in the European Union

“…The interaction of between glyphosate and mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase has been verified by molecular modeling (Ugarte, 2014). The IPA salt of glyphosate was indicated to be genotoxic at concentrations of 0.16-1.6 µg/ml on human lymphocytes, fish erythrocytes and plant staminal nuclei in vitro and in vivo (Alvarez-Moya et al, 2014). Glyphosate has also been shown to be able to disrupt regenerative diploid (DIMF) and triploid fin cell lines from the Oriental weather loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) with cytotoxicity of LC 50 = 0.315 and 0.372 mg/ml, respectively.…”

Oxidative stress, cholinesterase activity, and DNA damage in the liver, whole blood, and plasma of Wistar rats following a 28-day exposure to glyphosate

“…Our findings are in line with previous comet assay in vitro and in vivo animal studies with glyphosate, which reported its damaging potential for the DNA. In one study (69), in vitro treatment of human lymphocytes with 0.7-700 µmol L -1 of glyphosate led to a significant increase in tail length. In another study (70), exposure of non-dividing human lymphocytes to 0.5-580 μg mL -1 of glyphosate along with metabolic activation resulted in a significant increase in tail intensity only at 580 μg mL −1 (~3.4 mmol L -1 ), as established with the alkaline comet assay (70).…”