Research Article
Mahmoud M Elalfy, Mohamed S
Abstract
The genotoxicity of pesticides give a potential role in population health and ecosystem safety and here the we would like to explore genotoxicity of metribuzin herbicide. Metribuzin dosed orally in albino rats twice per week for 3 months at dose level 0, 110, 220, and 440 mg/kg. All rats were sacrificed and liver was preserved in liquid nitrogen and bone marrow cells was obtained from femur bone. It was founded that chromosomal aberrations were dose dependent with significant increase in all doses (1/20, 1/10 and ⅕ of the LD50% of metribuzin herbicide) specially higher doses represented by structural abnormalities as chromosomal break, fragments, gap, association and a centromeric chromosomes beside numerical abnormalities as polyploidy and hypoploidy. Additionally, DNA quantity was dose dependent significant increase. Notably, there was significant increase in micronuclei level in respect to control that considered as a clastogenic signal and defect in mitotic activity that founded to be decreased in bone marrow cell where the mitotic index had decreased drastically in comparison to control value. Notably, metribuzin enhanced expression of TAT gene at all doses when compared with control group. on conclusion, metribuzin herbicide had a genotoxic properties that constitute hazard and great concern to population and TAT gene expression could be a potential role in detection of toxicity.