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Malathion and dithane induce DNA damage in Vicia faba
Shashi Kiran Arya1, Ilika Ghosh1, Ritesh Banerjee1
1Cell Biology and Genetic Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India.
Toxicology and Industrial Health
|September 28, 2017
Summary
Pesticides like malathion and dithane cause DNA damage and alter protein profiles in Vicia faba roots. Malathion demonstrated higher genotoxicity than dithane, highlighting the utility of RAPD assays for pesticide genotoxicity assessment.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Environmental Toxicology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Pesticide use in agriculture raises concerns about environmental mutagenicity.
- Genotoxicity of common pesticides in edible crops remains under-assessed.
- Vicia faba L. is a model organism for evaluating genotoxic effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the genotoxic potential of malathion and dithane in Vicia faba roots.
- To assess DNA damage and protein profile alterations induced by these pesticides.
- To compare the genotoxicity of malathion and dithane using multiple endpoints.
Main Methods:
- Cytogenetic analysis including mitotic frequency, chromosome aberrations, and micronuclei.
- Alkaline comet assay for DNA damage detection.
- Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genetic profiling.
- Protein profiling using SDS-PAGE.
Main Results:
- Malathion and dithane significantly inhibited root length and seed germination in a dose-dependent manner.
- Increased chromosome aberrations and micronuclei frequency were observed with higher pesticide concentrations.
- Alkaline comet assay confirmed DNA damage at all tested concentrations.
- RAPD analysis revealed polymorphic DNA fragments, with malathion inducing more changes than dithane.
- Fifteen new protein bands were detected, with malathion treatment showing a higher number of new bands.
Conclusions:
- Malathion and dithane exposure alters genomic template stability and protein profiles in Vicia faba.
- Malathion exhibits greater genotoxicity compared to dithane.
- RAPD-PCR assays, alongside quantitative parameters, are effective tools for assessing pesticide genotoxicity in crops.
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