Mancozeb induces cytogenotoxicity in meristematic cells of Allium cepa L.

Abstract

Mancozeb is a fungicide of the dithiocarbamate functional group, and it is widely used in agriculture to control various fungal diseases. Thus, studies detailing its toxicological characteristics are necessary, as the population may be exposed through the consumption of food or water contaminated with mancozeb. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic potentials of this dithiocarbamate using the Allium cepa L. test system as well as its cytotoxicity in erythrocytes of female rats (Rattus norvegicus). The meristematic roots of A. cepa bulbs were exposed to various concentrations of mancozeb (62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/L) for 24, 48, and 72 h to determine cytotoxicity by evaluating the mitotic index (MI), chromosomal aberrations (CA), and nuclear anomalies (NA) for genotoxicity analysis and micronuclei (MN) for mutagenicity analysis. Distilled water and copper sulfate (0.0006 mg/L) were used as the negative control (NC) and positive control (PC), respectively. The MI and the sum of CA and NA of all the mancozeb concentrations showed a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in relation to the NC, indicating possible cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induced by mancozeb. Additionally, MN significantly increased with mancozeb concentration from 250 mg/L to 500 mg/L in 24 h when compared to NC. In another study model, mancozeb showed to be cytolytic at concentrations starting from 125 mg/L. Therefore, these results indicate that mancozeb causes cytogenetic alterations and mutagenicity at lower concentrations than those used in agriculture, which emphasizes the need for more care when managing this fungicide.