Pesticide mediated oxidative stress induces genotoxicity and disrupts chromatin structure in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum - graecum L.) seedlings

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2019-05, Vol.369, p.362-374
• Main Authors: Mahapatra, Kalyan, De, Sayanti, Banerjee, Samrat, Roy, Sujit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidant defense; Chromosomal abnormality; DNA double strand breaks; Genome instability; Genotoxicity; Oxidative stress; Pesticides; Phytotoxicity; Reactive oxygen species
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.056

[Display omitted] •Tricyclazole and plethora distinctly compromises plant growth in non-target system.•Exposure to excess concentrations of Tricyclazole and Plethora causes oxidative damage via ROS generation.•Pesticide mediated oxidative stress reduces cell viability through disruption of cell membrane.•Excess Tricyclazole and Plethora induce DNA breaks and arrest cell cycle in Trigonella seedlings. Here we report cytototoxic and genotoxic potentials of four commonly used pesticides, including, tricyclazole, thiabendazole (fungicides), plethora and slash-360 (insecticides) in the non-target tropical crop plant Trigonella foenum - graecum L. (fenugreek). Three different concentrations of the selected pesticides were used. For fungicides, 0.05% and for insecticides, 0.1% concentration represents recommended doses, while, 2X and 4X concentrations of the recommended dose were used to test their phytotoxic effects. Inhibition of germination and seedling growth were clearly observed at 4X concentration of the pesticides. Tricyclazole and plethora showed more pronounced effects than the other two agrochemicals. The pesticides, particularly at 4X concentrations clearly induced oxidative stress and cytotoxic effects in Trigonella seedlings with appreciable reduction in mitotic index, induction of chromosomal abnormalities in root meristematic cell and decreased level of accumulation of some key cell cycle regulators, including CDK1, CDK2 and Cyclin B1.Detection of accumulation of DNA double strand breaks and histone H2AX phosphorylation in pesticide treated seedlings have revealed direct genotoxic effects of the selected pesticides. Overall, our results provide insights into the mechanism of pesticide induced cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in plant genome with future implications for designing pesticides to minimize their deleterious effects on non-target crop plants.