Exposure of calcium carbide induces apoptosis in mammalian fibroblast L929 cells

• Published in: Toxicology mechanisms and methods 2021-03, Vol.31 (3), p.159-168
• Main Authors: De, Indranil, S, Rajesh, Kour, Avneet, Wani, Henna, Sharma, Prashant, Panda, Jiban Jyoti, Singh, Manish
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: apoptosis; Artificial fruit ripener; calcium carbide; cytotoxicity; fibroblasts; MTT assay; ROS
• ISSN: 1537-6516; 1537-6524
• DOI: 10.1080/15376516.2020.1849484

Inspite of various health warnings from Government and health organizations, Calcium carbide (CaC 2 ) is still the most commonly and widely used artificial fruit ripener, probably due to its easy availability, low cost and convenience of usage. Assessment of the hazardous effects of the CaC 2 applications for fruit ripening has been a matter of interest since long. Several in vivo studies have reported the toxicological outcomes such as histopathological changes in lungs and kidneys, haematological and immunological responses, upon exposure with CaC 2 . However, a well-controlled study investigating the effects of CaC 2 under in-vitro setup was lacking. Hence, this study has been conducted to explore the toxicity associated cellular events in L929 cells exposed with varying concentrations of CaC 2 (0.00312-0.2 μg/μl) for 24 h exposure time. A 23.14% reduction in cell viability was observed at the highest dose of CaC 2 . A similar trend in cellular stress levels at 0.2 μg/μl dose was observed in terms of rounded cellular morphology and decreased adherence as compared to the control. Furthermore, Annexin V FITC/PI staining and subsequent confocal imaging revealed a similar trend of CaC 2 induced apoptosis in a dose dependent manner. A gradual elevation of intracellular ROS has also been observed up to 0.025 μg/μl dose. Thus, the study concludes that short term CaC 2 exposure may increase the cellular oxidative stress and disturb the redox balance of the cell which then undergoes apoptosis. The study concludes that the exposure of CaC 2 can be associated with severe diseases and suggests to stop the uses of CaC 2 as fruit ripening agent.