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DNA Damage and Apoptotic Effects in Water Samples of a Brazilian River Protected by the HELP Program of UNESCO

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Abstract

When a possible hazard is observed, it is essential to monitor the local environment and verify possible worsening of conditions. In a previous study of the São Francisco Verdadeiro River (Paraná, Brazil), we observed increases in micronucleus (MN) frequencies in a resident fish species (Astyanax paranae). After our study, the São Francisco Verdadeiro River was included in the Hydrology for the Environment, Life, and Policy (HELP) program, an initiative from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote watershed management in degraded environments. Following the inclusion of the river in the HELP program, we aimed to verify whether the river still presented mutagenic potential and possible hazards to the environment and humans. To evaluate potential hazards, the Allium cepa test was used and the mitotic index, MN, and chromosomal aberration (CA) frequencies were analyzed in A. cepa cells exposed to water samples collected from two sites on the São Francisco Verdadeiro River during the winter (the season with the most pronounced effects in our previous study). Distilled water was used as negative control, and methyl methane sulfonate as positive control. We found significantly higher CA and MN frequencies in samples from both sites than in the control samples and a significant induction of early apoptotic cells, an uncommon observation in water samples. Our results demonstrate that despite inclusion in the UNESCO’s HELP program, the São Francisco Verdadeiro River has mutagenic potential, likely because of ongoing contamination by sewage, waste pesticides, and other agents, and thus, continues to present a hazard to humans and the environment.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).

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Author notes

  1. Maruhen Amir Datsch Silveira and Diego Luis Ribeiro have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Rua Universitária, 2069, Jardim Universitário, Caixa Postal 000711, Cascavel, PR, CEP: 85819-110, Brazil

    Maruhen Amir Datsch Silveira, Thayná Assakawa dos Santos, Natani Ribeiro Demarco & Luciana Paula Grégio d’Arce

  2. Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Diego Luis Ribeiro

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  1. Maruhen Amir Datsch Silveira
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  2. Diego Luis Ribeiro
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  3. Thayná Assakawa dos Santos
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  4. Natani Ribeiro Demarco
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  5. Luciana Paula Grégio d’Arce
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Correspondence to Maruhen Amir Datsch Silveira.

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Silveira, M.A.D., Ribeiro, D.L., dos Santos, T.A. et al. DNA Damage and Apoptotic Effects in Water Samples of a Brazilian River Protected by the HELP Program of UNESCO. Expo Health 11, 291–296 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-018-0271-4

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