Impact of the glyphosate-based commercial herbicide, its components and its metabolite AMPA on non-target aquatic organisms

• Published in: Mutation research. Genetic toxicology and environmental mutagenesis Vol. 842; pp. 94 - 101
• Main Authors: de Brito Rodrigues, Laís, Gonçalves Costa, Gessyca, Lundgren Thá, Emanoela, da Silva, Lucas Rafael, de Oliveira, Rhaul, Morais Leme, Daniela, Cestari, Marta Margarete, Koppe Grisolia, Cesar, Campos Valadares, Marize, de Oliveira, Gisele Augusto Rodrigues
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2019
• Subjects: alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid - toxicity; Amines - toxicity; AMPA; Animals; Aquatic Organisms - drug effects; Comet assay; Comet Assay - methods; DNA Damage - drug effects; Female; FET; Glycine - analogs & derivatives; Glycine - toxicity; Glyphosate; Herbicides - toxicity; Larva - drug effects; Male; Mutagens - toxicity; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Organophosphorus Compounds - toxicity; RTG-2 cells; Surfactant; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Zebrafish; Zebrafish; AMPA; FET; RTG-2 cells; Surfactant; Comet assay
• ISSN: 1383-5718; 1879-3592
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2019.05.002

•GLY and AMPA induced no acute toxicity to zebrafish early-life stages.•ATN and POEA caused significant lethal effects to zebrafish.•GLY, POEA, ATN and AMPA were genotoxic for zebrafish larvae.•POEA induced DNA damages into RTG-2 cells. Glyphosate (GLY) is the active ingredient of several herbicide formulations widely used to control weeds in agricultural and non-agricultural areas. Due to the intensive use of GLY-based herbicides and their direct application on soils, some of their components, including the active ingredient, may reach the aquatic environment through direct run-off and leaching. The present study assessed the acute toxicity and genotoxicity of the GLY-based formulation Atanor 48 (ATN) and its major constituents GLY, surfactant polyethoxylated tallow amine (POEA), as well as the main metabolite of GLY aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) on non-target aquatic organisms. The toxic effects of these chemicals were evaluated in the fish embryo acute toxicity test with zebrafish (Danio rerio), while genotoxic effects were investigated in the comet assays with cells from zebrafish larvae and rainbow trout gonad-2 (RTG-2). GLY and AMPA caused no acute toxic effect, while ATN and POEA induced significant lethal effects in zebrafish (LC50-96 h 76.50 mg/L and 5.49 mg/L, respectively). All compounds were genotoxic in comet experiments with zebrafish larvae (LOEC 1.7 mg/L for GLY, ATN, AMPA and 0.4 mg/L for POEA). Unlike in vivo, only POEA induced DNA damage in RTG-2 cells (LOEC 1.6 mg/L), suggesting that it is a direct acting genotoxic agent. In summary, these data indicate that the lethal effects on zebrafish early-life stages can be ranked in the following order from most to least toxic: surfactant POEA > formulation ATN > active ingredient GLY ≈ metabolite AMPA. Genotoxic effects were observed in both RTG-2 cells (only POEA) and zebrafish (all test compounds) with the lowest tested concentrations. Therefore, it is important to evaluate different toxicological endpoints as well as use different non-target organisms to predict the hazards of GLY-based formulations and their components and breakdown product to aquatic biota.