The genotoxic effects of Logran on Hordeum vulgare L. and Triticum aestivum L

A comprehensive overview on solid waste leachate effects on terrestrial organisms

Leachate is a highly complex waste with high toxicological potential that poses a significant threat to the terrestrial environment. Determining leachate physicochemical parameters and identifying xenobiotics alone is, however, not enough to determine the real environmental impacts. In this context, the use of terrestrial model organisms has been highlighted as a tool in ecotoxicological leachate assessments and as a guiding principle in risk assessments. In this context, this review aimed to present the most current state of knowledge concerning leachate toxicity and the bioassays employed in this evaluation concerning terrestrial plants and animals. To this end, a literature search on leachate effects on terrestrial organisms was carried out using ten search terms, in 32 different combinations, at the Web of Science and Scopus databases. A total of 74 eligible articles were selected. The retrieved studies analyzed 42 different plant and animal species and employed nine endpoints, namely phytotoxicity, genotoxicity, bioaccumulation, antioxidant system, cytotoxicity, reproduction, physiological changes, behavior and lethality. A frequent association of toxic leachate effects with metals was observed, mainly Pb, Cd, Cr, Mg, Zn and Cr, which can cause antioxidant system alterations and cyto- and genotoxicity. These elements have also been associated to reproductive effects in earthworms and mice. Specifically concerning plants, most of the retrieved studies employed Allium cepa in toxicity assays, reporting phytotoxic effects frequently associated to metals and soil parameter changes. Animal studies, on the other hand, mostly employed mice and evaluated genotoxicity and antioxidant system effects. Even with the description of toxic leachate effects in both plants and animals, a lack of knowledge is still noted concerning reproductive, physiological, cytotoxic, and behavioral effects in terrestrial species. We, thus, suggest that further studies be carried out on other animals, advancing our understanding on potential environmental leachate effects, also allowing for human health risk assessments.

Cytogenotoxic activity of herbicidal and fungicidal pesticides on Triticum aestivum root meristem

Phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of pesticides with various mechanisms of targeted activity were studied in a hydroponic culture of 2-day-old seedlings of Triticum aestivum. All studied pesticides (with the exception of metribuzin) exhibited dose-dependent phytotoxicity (inhibited the growth of the main root and reduced the yield of root biomass). All studied pesticides did not affect mitotic index in the root apex meristem but did affect the duration of some phases of mitosis. Herbicides increased, while fungicides, on the contrary, decreased the duration of the cytokinesis phase. All pesticides (1 μg/mL) exhibited genotoxic activity: in the root apex meristem the number of cells with mitotic abnormalities was significantly higher than in the control variant (7-14 times). The genotoxic activity of metribuzin and tebuconazole was 2 times lower than for tribenuron-methyl, fenoxaprop-P-ethyl, epoxiconazole and azoxystrobin. The genotoxicity of the studied pesticides was combined: depending on the class of the pesticide, clastogenic or aneugenous effects dominated.

Evaluation of Roundup-induced toxicity on genetic material and on length growth of barley seedlings

The study was performed in order to evaluate Roundup-induced genotoxic effects in Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Madalin root meristems and to analyze herbicide impact on length growth of barley seedlings. Caryopses were treated for 3 hours and 6 hours with 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0% Roundup solutions (v/v), containing 0.36 mg ml-1, 1.8 mg ml-1, 3.6 mg ml-1 and 7.2 mg ml-1 glyphosate active ingredient. Mitotic index decreased in both exposure times with concentration increase. In 3-h treatment, its average values decreased from 4.73 ± 0.31% to 1.51 ± 0.43%, whereas in 6-h treatment this parameter declined from 3.86 ± 0.92% to 0.62 ± 0.15%. The highest ana-telophase aberration rates were noted in 3-h treatments (8.91%, 9.19%, 9.47%, 11.25%, comparatively to control - 5.99%). Roundup enhanced the number of metaphase disturbances proving its noxious effect on normal functioning of mitotic spindle. Seedling growth was negatively influenced at all tested concentrations in both exposure times. The length decreased as concentration increased, so that the average length is 7.5-9 times smaller than in control at the maximum concentration, in both exposures.

Effect of landfill leachate on cell cycle, micronucleus, and sister chromatid exchange in Triticum aestivum

With increasing use of municipal solid waste landfills for waste disposal, the leachate generated has become a serious environmental concern. Therefore, it is important to set up simple and accurate methods for monitoring leachate toxicity. In the present study, the physiological and genetic toxicity of the leachate, generated from Xingou Municipal Landfill in China, were investigated with Triticum aestivum (wheat) bioassay. The results indicate that the lower leachate concentrations stimulated the germination, growth and cell division, and did not induce obvious increase in micronucleus (MN) frequency in root tips; while the higher concentrations inhibited the processes, and significantly augmented the MN frequency in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. In addition, pycnotic cells (PNC) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) occurred in root tips at all leachate concentrations tested, and the frequencies had positive relation with the treatment concentration and time. The results imply that components of leachate from the landfill may be genotoxic in plant cells, and exposure to leachate in the aquatic environment may pose a potential genotoxic risk to organisms. The results also suggest that the wheat bioassay is efficient, simple and reproducible in monitoring genotoxicity of the leachate.