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Genotoxicity in the Offspring of Rats Exposed to Contaminated and Acidified Experimentally Soils

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of contaminated soil diluted in acidic solutions and not acidic, in the offspring of rats exposed during pregnancy and neonatal periods. To this end, a comet assay and micronucleus test were performed. Soil samples were solubilized in the following three solvents: distilled water (control group), acid solvent at pH 5.2, and acid solvent at pH 3.6. Soil and solvent were mixed in a rate of 1:2 in g/mL, and hydrofluoric acid was used in the acid solvents. In the comet assay, the tail length, percentage of DNA within the tail and tail moment was analyzed in the whole blood of the pups that were studied. The number of micronuclei found in the bone marrow cells was counted in the micronucleus test. In all parameters evaluated in the comet assay, the group exposed to the lowest pH value when associated with contaminated soil (p < 0.05) had the most damage. However, the micronucleus test showed differences between all exposed groups and the control group (p < 0.05). These results reaffirm the health risks related to the exposure to soil contaminants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Laboratório de Ensaios Farmacológicos e Toxicológicos (LEFT), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, RS, Brazil

    Edariane Menestrino Garcia, Flávio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva Junior, Ronan Adler Tavella, Camila Gonzales Cruz & Ana Luiza Muccillo-Baisch

  2. Instituto de Oceanografia (IO), Laboratório Oceanografia Geológica (LOG), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia Química, Física e Geológica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, RS, Brazil

    Paulo Roberto Martins Baisch

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  1. Edariane Menestrino Garcia
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  2. Flávio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva Junior
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  3. Ronan Adler Tavella
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  4. Camila Gonzales Cruz
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  5. Paulo Roberto Martins Baisch
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  6. Ana Luiza Muccillo-Baisch
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Correspondence to Flávio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva Junior.

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Garcia, E.M., da Silva Junior, F.M.R., Tavella, R.A. et al. Genotoxicity in the Offspring of Rats Exposed to Contaminated and Acidified Experimentally Soils. Water Air Soil Pollut 228, 254 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3440-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3440-3

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