The Impact of Glyphosate, Its Metabolites and Impurities on Viability, ATP Level and Morphological changes in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Glyphosate-based herbicide as a potential risk factor for breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm in women worldwide, with both genetic and environmental factors playing a role in its development. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in widely used agricultural herbicides, is recognized as a potential carcinogen and endocrine disruptor, making it a candidate for inducing epigenetic modifications linked to breast cancer. This study investigates the effects of the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup® on non-tumorigenic (MCF10A) and tumorigenic (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) breast cell lines, focusing on the expression of key breast cancer-related genes. Additionally, the study examines the association with epigenetic modifications and the use of epidrugs to reverse potential alterations, aiming to understand the risks and mechanisms of herbicide action. Results indicate that Roundup® affects cells through a non-estrogenic mechanism, impacting both hormone-dependent and -independent cells with varying toxic and proliferative effects depending on dose and exposure time. Moreover, it altered the expression of breast cancer-related genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 at low doses. The use of epigenetic modulators was able to reverse some Roundup®-induced changes, suggesting the herbicide's role in epigenetic modifications. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of understanding glyphosate-based herbicide mechanisms in humans, which could enable personalized prevention strategies to mitigate breast cancer risks.

The impact of the herbicide glyphosate and its metabolites AMPA and MPA on the metabolism and functions of human blood neutrophils and their sex-dependent effects on reactive oxygen species and CXCL8/IL-8 production

Significant levels of glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide, and its primary metabolites, AMPA and MPA, are detected in various human organs and body fluids, including blood. Several studies have associated the presence of glyphosate in humans with health problems, and effects on immune cells and their functions have been reported. However, the impact of this molecule and its metabolites on neutrophils, the most abundant leukocytes in the human bloodstream, is still poorly documented. We isolated neutrophils from human donor blood and investigated the effects of exposure to glyphosate, AMPA, and MPA on viability, energy metabolism, and essential antimicrobial functions in vitro. We observed that neutrophil viability was unaffected at the blood-relevant average concentrations of the general population and exposed workers, as well as at higher intoxication concentrations. Neutrophil energy metabolism was also not altered following exposure to the chemicals. However, while phagocytosis was unaffected, reactive oxygen species generation and CXCL8/IL-8 production were altered by exposure to the molecules. Alterations in function following exposure to glyphosate and metabolites differed according to the sex of the donors, which could be linked to glyphosate's known role as an endocrine disruptor. While ROS generation was increased in both sexes, male neutrophils exposed to glyphosate had increased intracellular production of CXCL8/IL-8, with no effect on female neutrophils. Conversely, exposure to the metabolites AMPA and MPA decreased extracellular production of this chemokine only in female neutrophils, with MPA also increasing intracellular production in male cells exposed to the chemoattractant N-formyl-methionine-leucyl-phenylalanine. Our study highlights the effects of glyphosate and its metabolites on the antimicrobial functions of neutrophils, which could be associated with health problems as future studies provide a better understanding of the risks associated with glyphosate use. Advances in knowledge will enable better and potentially stricter regulations to protect the public.

Elucidation of the role of metals in the adsorption and photodegradation of herbicides by metal-organic frameworks

Here, four MOFs, namely Sc-TBAPy, Al-TBAPy, Y-TBAPy, and Fe-TBAPy (TBAPy: 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-benzoic acid)pyrene), were characterized and evaluated for their ability to remediate glyphosate (GP) from water. Among these materials, Sc-TBAPy demonstrates superior performance in both the adsorption and degradation of GP. Upon light irradiation for 5 min, Sc-TBAPy completely degrades 100% of GP in a 1.5 mM aqueous solution. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy reveals that Sc-TBAPy exhibits enhanced charge transfer character compared to the other MOFs, as well as suppressed formation of emissive excimers that could impede photocatalysis. This finding was further supported by hydrogen evolution half-reaction (HER) experiments, which demonstrated Sc-TBAPy's superior catalytic activity for water splitting. In addition to its faster adsorption and more efficient photodegradation of GP, Sc-TBAPy also followed a selective pathway towards the oxidation of GP, avoiding the formation of toxic aminomethylphosphonic acid observed with the other M3+-TBAPy MOFs. To investigate the selectivity observed with Sc-TBAPy, electron spin resonance, depleted oxygen conditions, and solvent exchange with D2O were employed to elucidate the role of different reactive oxygen species on GP photodegradation. The findings indicate that singlet oxygen (1O2) plays a critical role in the selective photodegradation pathway achieved by Sc-TBAPy.

The causality between CD8+NKT cells and CD16-CD56 on NK cells with hepatocellular carcinoma: a Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is featured with high morbidity and mortality worldwide, is a primary malignant tumor of the liver. Recently, there is a wealth of supporting evidence revealing that NK cell-related immune traits are strongly associated with the development of HCC, but the causality between them has not been proven.

METHODS

Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed to probe the causal correlation between NK cell-related immune traits and HCC. Genetic variations in NK cell-related immune traits were extracted from recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of individuals with European blood lineage. HCC data were derived from the UK Biobank Consortium's GWAS summary count data, including a total of 372,184 female and male subjects, with 168 cases and 372,016 controls, all of whom are of European ancestry. Sensitivity analysis was mainly used for heterogeneity and pleiotropy testing.

RESULTS

Our research indicated the causality between NK cell-related immune traits and HCC. Importantly, CD8+NKT cells had protective causal effects on HCC (OR = 0.9996;95%CI,0.9993-0.9999; P = 0.0489). CD16-CD56 caused similar effects on NK cells (OR = 0.9997;95%CI,0.9996-0.9999; P = 0.0117) as CD8+NKT cells. Intercepts from Egger showed no pleiotropy and confounding factors. Furthermore, insufficient evidence was found to support the existence of heterogeneity by Cochran's Q test.

CONCLUSION

MR analysis suggested that low CD8+NKT cells and CD16-CD56 expression on NK cells were linked with a higher risk of HCC.

Including the bioconcentration of pesticide metabolites in plant uptake modeling

Although several models of pesticide uptake into plants are available, there are few modeling studies on the bioconcentration of metabolites in plants. Ignoring metabolites in plant uptake models can result in an underestimation of the parent compound's overall impacts on human health associated with pesticide residues in harvested food crops. To address this limitation, we offer a metabolite-based plant uptake model to predict the bioconcentration of the parent compound and its metabolites in plants. We used the uptake of glyphosate and its major metabolite (aminomethylphosphonic acid, AMPA) into potato as an example. The analysis of variability revealed that soil properties (affecting the soil sorption coefficient), dissipation half-life in soil, and metabolic half-life in the potato had a significant impact on the simulated AMPA concentration in the potato, indicating that regional variability could be generated in the plant bioconcentration process of metabolites. The proposed model was further compared using the non-metabolite model. The findings of the comparison suggested that the non-metabolite model, which is integrated with the AMPA bioconcentration process, can predict the AMPA concentration in the potato similarly to the proposed model. In conclusion, we provide insight into the bioconcentration process of metabolites in tuber plants from a modeling viewpoint, with some crucial model inputs, such as biotransformation and metabolic rate constants, requiring confirmation in future studies. The modeling demonstration emphasizes that it is relevant to consider bioaccumulation of metabolites, which can propagate further into increased overall residues of harmful compounds, especially in cases where metabolites have higher toxicity effect potency than their respective parent compounds.

Toxicity assessment and DNA repair kinetics in HEK293 cells exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of Glyphosate (Roundup® Control Max)

Glyphosate is a systemic, non-selective, pre and post-emergence wide range herbicide. In 2015, IARC classified Glyphosate as "a probable carcinogenic agent for humans". The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the commercial formulation of glyphosate (Roundup® Control Max) at environmentally relevant concentrations and measure the potential effect of this herbicide over the cell capacity to repair DNA damage. HEK293 cells were exposed to 5 concentrations of Roundup® Control Max equivalent to 0.7; 7; 70; 700 and 3,500 μg/L glyphosate acid, for 1, 4 and 24 h. Cytotoxicity was quantified by the Trypan Blue staining method and by the MTT assay, while genotoxicity and evaluation of DNA damage repair kinetics were analyzed through the alkaline comet assay. In all treatments, cell viability was higher than 80%. The three highest glyphosate concentrations-70 μg/L, 700 μg/L, and 3,500 μg/L-increased levels of DNA damage compared to the control at the three exposure times tested. Finally, concerning the kinetics of DNA damage repair, cells initially exposed to 3,500 μg/L of glyphosate for 24 h were unable to repair the breaks in DNA strands even after 4 h of incubation in culture medium. The present study demonstrated for the first time that Roundup® Control Max may induce genetic damage and cause alterations in the DNA repair system in human embryonic kidney cells even at concentrations found in blood and breast milk of people exposed through residues of the herbicide in food, which values have been poorly assessed or not studied yet according to the existent literature.

Effects of Glyphosate on Female Reproductive Output in the Marine Polychaete Worm Ophryotrocha diadema

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide widely employed in agriculture. Exposure to this genotoxic and endocrine-disrupting compound has adverse effects on terrestrial and aquatic organisms and on humans as well. Here, we explored the effects of glyphosate on female reproductive output and somatic growth rate in the marine polychaete worm, Ophryotrocha diadema. Adult focal individuals were exposed to different concentrations of pure glyphosate (0.0, 0.125 0.250, 0.500, 1.000 µg/mL) administered once a week for 3 weeks. Toxic effects and mortalities were observed at the three higher concentrations, whereas only a decrease in growth rate was noted after exposure to 0.125 µg/mL, which did not affect female allocation. An area of focus in future studies should be the effects of contaminants, their metabolites, and ecologically relevant human-driven stressors in the context of global warming.

Glyphosate Toxicity: In Vivo, In Vitro, and Epidemiological Evidence

Glyphosate is the most applied agricultural chemical worldwide and has become nearly ubiquitous throughout the environment. Glyphosate is an effective herbicide because it disrupts the shikimate pathway, which is responsible for the synthesis of essential amino acids in plants and microorganisms. Given that there is no known target for glyphosate in higher animals, its toxicity to humans and other animals is heavily debated, especially after the 2015 IARC ruling that glyphosate is carcinogenic. Today, a growing body of literature shows in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological evidence for the toxicity of glyphosate across animal species. With the application of glyphosate increasing globally, it is important to discuss these reports to enable a broader conversation on glyphosate toxicity and its impact on human and environmental health. Here, we summarize the recent glyphosate literature and discuss its implications.

In vitro study of glyphosate effects on thyroid cells

Glyphosate is a pesticide, which contaminates the environment and exposes workers and general population to its residues present in foods and waters. In soil, Glyphosate is degraded in metabolites, amino-methyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA) being the main one. Glyphosate is considered a potential cancerogenic and endocrine-disruptor agent, however its adverse effects on the thyroid were evaluated only in animal models and in vitro data are still lacking. Aim of this study was to investigate whether exposure to Glyphosate could exert adverse effects on thyroid cells in vitro. Two models (adherent-2D and spheroid-3D) derived from the same cell strain Fisher-rat-thyroid-cell line-5 (FRTL-5) were employed. After exposure to Glyphosate at increasing concentrations (0.0, 0.1-0.25- 0.5-1.0-2.0-10.0 mM) we evaluated cell viability by WST-1 (adherent and spheroids), results being confirmed by propidium-iodide staining (only for spheroids). Proliferation of adherent cells was assessed by crystal violet and trypan-blue assays, the increasing volume of spheroids was taken as a measure of proliferation. We also evaluated the ability of cells to form spheroids after Glyphosate exposure. We assessed changes of reactive-oxygen-species (ROS) by the cell-permeant H2DCFDA. Glyphosate-induced changes of mRNAs encoding for thyroid-related genes (TSHR, TPO, TG, NIS, TTF-1 and PAX8) were evaluated by RT-PCR. Glyphosate reduced cell viability and proliferation in both models, even if at different concentrations. Glyphosate at the highest concentration reduced the ability of FRTL-5 to form spheroids. An increased ROS production was found in both models after exposure to Glyphosate. Finally, Glyphosate increased the mRNA levels of some thyroid related genes (TSHR, TPO, TG and TTF-1) in both models, while it increased the mRNAs of PAX8 and NIS only in the adherent model. The present study supports an adverse effect of Glyphosate on cultured thyroid cells. Glyphosate reduced cell viability and proliferation and increased ROS production in thyroid cells.

Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer particles for glyphosate detection using phase transfer agents

In this work, molecular imprinting was combined with direct fluorescence detection of the pesticide Glyphosate (GPS). Firstly, the solubility of highly polar GPS in organic solvents was improved by using lipophilic tetrabutylammonium (TBA⁺) and tetrahexylammonium (THA⁺) counterions. Secondly, to achieve fluorescence detection, a fluorescent crosslinker containing urea-binding motifs was used as a probe for GPS-TBA and GPS-THA salts in chloroform, generating stable complexes through hydrogen bond formation. The GPS/fluorescent dye complexes were imprinted into 2-3 nm fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shells on the surface of sub-micron silica particles using chloroform as porogen. Thus, the MIP binding behavior could be easily evaluated by fluorescence titrations in suspension to monitor the spectral changes upon addition of the GPS analytes. While MIPs prepared with GPS-TBA and GPS-THA both displayed satisfactory imprinting following titration with the corresponding analytes in chloroform, GPS-THA MIPs displayed better selectivity against competing molecules. Moreover, the THA⁺ counterion was found to be a more powerful phase transfer agent than TBA⁺ in a biphasic assay, enabling the direct fluorescence detection and quantification of GPS in water. A limit of detection of 1.45 µM and a linear range of 5-55 µM were obtained, which match well with WHO guidelines for the acceptable daily intake of GPS in water (5.32 µM).

Overview of Environmental and Health Effects Related to Glyphosate Usage

Since the introduction of glyphosate (N-(phosphomethyl) glycine) in 1974, it has been the most used nonselective and broad-spectrum herbicide around the world. The widespread use of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides is due to their low-cost efficiency in killing weeds, their rapid absorption by plants, and the general mistaken perception of their low toxicity to the environment and living organisms. As a consequence of the intensive use and accumulation of glyphosate and its derivatives on environmental sources, major concerns about the harmful side effects of glyphosate and its metabolites on human, plant, and animal health, and for water and soil quality, are emerging. Glyphosate can reach water bodies by soil leaching, runoff, and sometimes by the direct application of some approved formulations. Moreover, glyphosate can reach nontarget plants by different mechanisms, such as spray application, release through the tissue of treated plants, and dead tissue from weeds. As a consequence of this nontarget exposure, glyphosate residues are being detected in the food chains of diverse products, such as bread, cereal products, wheat, vegetable oil, fruit juice, beer, wine, honey, eggs, and others. The World Health Organization reclassified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans in 2015 by the IARC. Thus, many review articles concerning different glyphosate-related aspects have been published recently. The risks, disagreements, and concerns regarding glyphosate usage have led to a general controversy about whether glyphosate should be banned, restricted, or promoted. Thus, this review article makes an overview of the basis for scientists, regulatory agencies, and the public in general, with consideration to the facts on and recommendations for the future of glyphosate usage.

Ameliorative potential of vitamin C and E against Roundup-glyphosate induced genotoxicity triggering apoptosis in caprine granulosa cells

The present study was aimed to investigate the genotoxic and apoptotic effects of glyphosate (GLP) in Roundup formulation along with mitigation of two potent antioxidants that is, vitamin C and E in caprine granulosa cells in vitro. The entire work was done in a dose and time dependent manner where different concentrations of GLP (0.1, 2.0, and 4.0 mg/ml) in Roundup and antioxidants (0.5 and 1.0 mM) were employed to culture of granulosa cells for exposure durations of 24, 48, and 72 h. Analysis of GLP-induced geno-toxicity was accomplished by using single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) assay. Results have shown increased incidences of DNA fragmentation, evidenced by presence of different types of comets (Type 1-Type 4) in Roundup-GLP- exposed groups in contrast to the control group (Type 0 comet). However, mitigation by both vitamin C and E was significant (p < .05) in combating the GLP-induced genotoxicity in granulosa cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The results of our study provide a clear indication of the ameliorative actions of vitamin C and E against Roundup-GLP-induced genotoxicity that instigate apoptosis in ovarian granulosa cells of caprine.

Comparison of the Toxicological Effects of Pesticides in Non-Tumorigenic MCF-12A and Tumorigenic MCF-7 Human Breast Cells

Humans are exposed to residues of organophosphate and neonicotinoid pesticides, commonly used in agriculture. Children are particularly vulnerable and, among possible adverse outcomes, the increased incidence of premature mammary gland development (thelarche) has raised concern. We evaluated the toxicological effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF), imidacloprid (IMI) and glyphosate (GLY) at exposure concentrations occurring in children on the tumorigenic MCF-7 and non-tumorigenic MCF-12A breast cell lines, as representative of the target organ model, assessing cytotoxicity, apoptosis, necrosis, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ATP levels, 17β-estradiol secretion and gene expression of nuclear receptors involved in mammary gland development. The pesticides decreased cell vitality in MCF-7 and cell proliferation in MCF-12A cells. ATP levels were decreased in MCF-7 cells by pesticides and apoptosis was increased in MCF-12A cells only by GLY (2.3 nM). ROS production was decreased by pesticides in both cell lines, except IMI (1.6 nM) in MCF-7 cells. Endocrine disrupting activity was highlighted by induction of 17β-estradiol secretion and modulation of the gene expression of estrogen alpha and beta, progesterone, androgen, and aryl hydrocarbon receptors in both cell lines. The use of MCF-7 and MCF-12A cells highlighted dissimilar modes of action of each pesticide at low human relevant concentrations.

Design of bioluminescent biosensors for assessing contamination of complex matrices

The presence of potentially toxic xenobiotics in complex matrices has become rather the rule than the exception. Therefore, there is a need for highly sensitive inexpensive techniques for analyzing environmental and food matrices for toxicants. Enzymes are selectively sensitive to various toxic compounds, and, thus, they can be used as the basis for detection of contaminants in complex matrices. There are, however, a number of difficulties associated with the analysis of complex matrices using enzyme assays, including the necessity to take into account properties and effects of the natural components of the test media for accurate interpretation of results. The present study describes the six-stage procedure for designing new enzyme sensors intended for assessing the quality of complex matrices. This procedure should be followed both to achieve the highest possible sensitivity of the biosensor to potentially toxic substances and to minimize the effect of the uncontaminated components of complex mixtures on the activity of the biosensor. The proposed strategy has been tested in designing a bioluminescent biosensor for integrated rapid assessment of the safety of fruits and vegetables. The biosensor is based on the coupled enzyme system NAD(P)H:FMN-oxidoreductase and luciferase as the biorecognition element. The study describes methods and techniques for attaining the desired result in each stage. The proposed six-stage procedure for designing bioluminescent enzyme biosensors can be used to design the enzymatic biosensors based on other enzymes.

Pesticides: formulants, distribution pathways and effects on human health - a review

Pesticides are commonly used in agriculture to enhance crop production and control pests. Therefore, pesticide residues can persist in the environment and agricultural crops. Although modern formulations are relatively safe to non-target species, numerous theoretical and experimental data demonstrate that pesticide residues can produce long-term negative effects on the health of humans and animals and stability of ecosystems. Of particular interest are molecular mechanisms that mediate the start of a cascade of adverse effects. This is a review of the latest literature data on the effects and consequences of contamination of agricultural crops by pesticide residues. In addition, we address the issue of implicit risks associated with pesticide formulations. The effects of pesticides are considered in the context of the Adverse Outcome Pathway concept.

Environment permissible concentrations of glyphosate in drinking water can influence the fate of neural stem cells from the subventricular zone of the postnatal mouse

The developing nervous system is highly vulnerable to environmental toxicants especially pesticides. Glyphosate pesticide induces neurotoxicity both in humans and rodents, but so far only when exposed to higher concentrations. A few studies, however, have also reported the risk of general toxicity of glyphosate at concentrations comparable to allowable limits set up by environmental protection authorities. In vitro data regarding glyphosate neurotoxicity at concentrations comparable to maximum permissible concentrations in drinking water is lacking. In the present study, we established an in vitro assay based upon neural stem cells (NSCs) from the subventricular zone of the postnatal mouse to decipher the effects of two maximum permissible concentrations of glyphosate in drinking water on the basic neurogenesis processes. Our results demonstrated that maximum permissible concentrations of glyphosate recognized by environmental protection authorities significantly reduced the cell migration and differentiation of NSCs as demonstrated by the downregulation of the expression levels of the neuronal ß-tubulin III and the astrocytic S100B genes. The expression of the cytoprotective gene CYP1A1 was downregulated whilst the expression of oxidative stresses indicator gene SOD1 was upregulated. The concentration comparable to non-toxic human plasma concentration significantly induced cytotoxicity and activated Ca2+ signalling in the differentiated culture. Our findings demonstrated that the permissible concentrations of glyphosate in drinking water recognized by environmental protection authorities are capable of inducing neurotoxicity in the developing nervous system.

Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Stress Responses of Imidacloprid and Glyphosate in Human Prostate Epithelial WPM-Y.1 Cell Line

Insecticide imidacloprid and herbicide glyphosate have a broad spectrum of applicable use in the agricultural sector of Egypt. Their ability to induce in vitro cytotoxic and oxidative stress on normal human cells (prostate epithelial WPM-Y.1 cell line) was evaluated with the methyl tetrazolium test (MTT) and histopathological investigation. Cell viability was evaluated with an MTT test for 24 h. The median inhibition concentration (IC50) values were 0.023 and 0.025 mM for imidacloprid and glyphosate, respectively. Sublethal concentrations: 1/10 and 1/50 of IC50 and IC50 levels significantly induced an increase in the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level compared with the untreated cells. Rapid decrease in the glutathione (GSH) content and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity was induced. Significant increases were recorded in activities of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR), respectively, compared with the control group. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) investigation showed significant defects in the cells following pesticide treatments for 24 h. Therefore, it is concluded that imidacloprid and glyphosate are very toxic in vitro assays and able to induce apoptotic effects as well as oxidative stress. So, these findings provide a scenario of multibiomarkers to achieve the imposed risks of pesticides at low doses.

Effects of glyphosate exposure on human health: Insights from epidemiological and in vitro studies

Glyphosate (GLY) is a broad-spectrum, post-emergent, non-selective and synthetic universal herbicide, whose commercial formulations are referred to as glyphosate-based-herbicides (GBHs). These chemicals and their metabolites can be found in soil, air, water, as well as groundwater and food products. This review summarizes to summarize current in vitro and epidemiological studies investigating the effects of GLY exposure on human health. Recent human cell studies have reported several GLY and GBH toxicological effects and have contributed to a better understanding of the deleterious consequences associated with their exposure. However, these detrimental effects are dependent on the cell type, chemical composition, as well as magnitude and time of exposure, among other factors. Moreover, the deleterious effects of GLY exposure on human health were observed in epidemiological studies; however, most of these studies have not determined the GLY dosage to confirm a direct effect. While GLY toxicity is clear in human cells, epidemiological studies investigating individuals exposed to different levels of GLY have reported contradictory data. Therefore, based on currently available in vitro and epidemiological data, it is not possible to confirm the complete safety of GLY use, which will require additional comprehensive studies in animal models and humans.

Evaluation of apoptotic potential of glyphosate metabolites and impurities in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (in vitro study)

Glyphosate is used for cereal, vegetable and fruit crops for reducing or inhibiting the growth of weeds as well as a desiccant for various grain crops. That is why, glyphosate has been shown to be accumulated in humans and animals through ingestion of food of both plant and animal origin. The study aimed to assessed the effect of glyphosate, its metabolites: aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), methylphosphonic acid and its impurities: PMIDA, N-methylglyphosate, hydroxymethylphosphonic acid and bis(phosphonomethyl)amine on apoptosis induction in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs were exposed to the compounds studied at the concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 5 mM for 4 h. We have observed an increase in reactive oxygen species (including hydroxyl radical) and cytosolic calcium ions levels as well as reduction of transmembrane mitochondrial potential (ΔΨm) in PBMCs exposed to the compounds examined. All substances studied changed PBMCs membrane permeability, activated caspase-8, -9, -3 and caused chromatin condensation, which showed that they were capable of inducing apoptosis both via extrinsic and particularly intrinsic pathway. Generally the study demonstrated that there were no differences between apoptotic changes induced by glyphosate, its metabolites or impurities, and observed changes were provoked by high concentrations of investigated compounds.

An artificial neural network and Random Forest identify glyphosate-impacted brackish communities based on 16S rRNA amplicon MiSeq read counts

Machine learning algorithms can be trained on complex data sets to detect, predict, or model specific aspects. Aim of this study was to train an artificial neural network in comparison to a Random Forest model to detect induced changes in microbial communities, in order to support environmental monitoring efforts of contamination events. Models were trained on taxon count tables obtained via next-generation amplicon sequencing of water column samples originating from a lab microcosm incubation experiment conducted over 140 days to determine the effects of glyphosate on succession within brackish-water microbial communities. Glyphosate-treated assemblages were classified correctly; a subsetting approach identified the taxa primarily responsible for this, permitting the reduction of input features. This study demonstrates the potential of artificial neural networks to predict indicator species for glyphosate contamination. The results could empower the development of environmental monitoring strategies with applications limited to neither glyphosate nor amplicon sequence data.

Roundup® confers cytotoxicity through DNA damage and Mitochondria-Associated apoptosis induction

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are the most widely used pesticides in the world. The extensive use of them increases the potential human health risk, including the human inhalation toxicity risk. We studied the effect of the most famous GBH Roundup® (RDP) in the concentration range from 50 to 125 μg/mL on Mitochondria-Associated apoptosis and DNA damage in Human alveolar carcinoma cells (A549 cells). Alkaline comet assay, immunofluorescence assay and Flow Cytometric Analysis assay were employed to detect DNA damages and apoptosis of A549 cells. We found RDP caused concentration-dependent increases in DNA damages and proportion of apoptotic cells in A549 cells. RDP induced the DNA single-strand breaks and double-strand breaks; the collapse of mitochondrial membrane by increasing Bax/Bcl-2, resulting in the release of cytochrome c into cytosol and then activated caspase-9/-3, cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in human lung tissue cells. The results demonstrate that RDP can induce A549 cells cytotoxic effects in vitro at the concentration lower than the occupational exposures level of workers, which means RDP has a potential threat to human health.

Widespread occurrence of glyphosate in urine from pet dogs and cats in New York State, USA

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States, which has led to its ubiquitous occurrence in food and water and regular detection in human urine at concentrations of 1-10 μg/L. Data pertaining to health risks arising from the ingestion of glyphosate are limited and are the subject of much debate, which demands the need for more exposure information for this herbicide. Very little is known about glyphosate exposure in pets. In this study, we determined concentrations of glyphosate (Glyp) and its derivatives, methyl glyphosate (Me-Glyp) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in urine collected from 30 dogs and 30 cats from New York State, USA. Glyp was the most predominant compound found in pet urine followed by AMPA and Me-Glyp. The mean urinary concentration of ∑Glyp (sum of Glyp + Me-Glyp + AMPA) in cats (mean: 33.8 ± 46.7 ng/mL) was 2-fold higher than that in dogs (mean: 16.8 ± 24.4 ng/mL). Cumulative daily intakes (CDI) of Glyp in dogs and cats estimated from the urinary concentrations were, on average, 0.57 and 1.37 μg/kg bw/d, respectively. The exposure doses were two to four orders of magnitude below the current acceptable daily intake (ADI) suggested by several international health organizations for humans.

In vitro evaluation of genomic damage induced by glyphosate on human lymphocytes

Glyphosate is an important broad-spectrum herbicide used in agriculture and residential areas for weed and vegetation control, respectively. In our study, we analyzed the in vitro clastogenic and/or aneugenic effects of glyphosate by chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei assays. Human lymphocytes were exposed to five glyphosate concentrations: 0.500, 0.100, 0.050, 0.025, and 0.0125 μg/mL, where 0.500 μg/mL represents the established acceptable daily intake value, and the other concentrations were tested in order to establish the genotoxicity threshold for this compound. We observed that chromosomal aberration (CA) and micronuclei (MNi) frequencies significantly increased at all tested concentrations, with exception of 0.0125 μg/mL. Vice versa, no effect has been observed on the frequencies of nuclear buds and nucleoplasmic bridges, with the only exception of 0.500 μg/mL of glyphosate that was found to increase in a significant manner the frequency of nucleoplasmic bridges. Finally, the cytokinesis-block proliferation index and the mitotic index were not significantly reduced, indicating that glyphosate does not produce effects on the proliferation/mitotic index at the tested concentrations.

Integrin targeting of glyphosate and its cell adhesion modulation effects on osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells revealed by label-free optical biosensing

This study is a discovery of interesting and far reaching properties of the world leading herbicide active ingredient glyphosate. Here we demonstrate the cell adhesion-modifying characteristics of glyphosate affecting cellular interactions via Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-dependent integrins. This conclusion was supported by the observations that a glyphosate surface coating induced integrin-specific cell adhesion, while glyphosate in solution inhibited cell adhesion on an RGD-displaying surface. A sensitive, real-time, label-free, whole cell approach was used to monitor the cell adhesion kinetic processes with excellent data quality. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for glyphosate was determined to be 0.47 ± 0.07% (20.6 mM) in serum-free conditions. A three-dimensional dissociation constant of 0.352 mM was calculated for the binding between RGD-specific integrins in intact MC3T3-E1 cells and soluble glyphosate by measuring its competition for RGD-motifs binding, while the affinity of those RGD-specific integrins to the RGD-motifs was 5.97 µM. The integrin-targeted affinity of glyphosate was proven using competitive binding assays to recombinant receptor αvβ3. The present study shows not only ligand-binding properties of glyphosate, but also illustrates its remarkable biomimetic power in the case of cell adhesion.

Toxicity induced by glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides in the zebrafish hepatocyte cell line (ZF-L)

Glyphosate is the active component of many commonly used herbicides; it can reach bodies of water through irrigated rice plantations. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of glyphosate and Roundup® (a glyphosate-based herbicide) in established culture of the zebrafish hepatocyte cell line ZF-L after 24 and 48 h of exposure to concentrations of 650 and 3250 µg/L. We observed a reduction in metabolic activity and lysosomal integrity, and an increase in cell number after 24 h of Roundup® exposure at the highest concentration. An increase in active mitochondria and apoptotic cells was observed following 24 h exposure to glyphosate and Roundup®, while only exposure to Roundup® induced an increase in necrotic cells. Rhodamine B accumulation decreased after 48 h exposure to 650 µg/L of Roundup®; this reduction is indicative of increased activity of ABC pumps. Overall, the present findings highlighted the hazard of glyphosate exposure not only in the commercial formulation but also glyphosate alone, since both can induce damage in the ZF-L cell line primarily through the induction of apoptosis.

The mechanism of DNA damage induced by Roundup 360 PLUS, glyphosate and AMPA in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells - genotoxic risk assessement

Glyphosate is the most heavily applied among pesticides in the world, and thus human exposure to this substance continues to increase. WHO changed classification of glyphosate to probably cancerogenic to humans, thus there is urgent need to assess in detail genotoxic mechanism of its action. We have assessed the effect of glyphosate, its formulation (Roundup 360 PLUS) and its main metabolite (aminomethylphosphonic acid, AMPA) in the concentration range from 1 to 1000 μM on DNA damage in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The cells were incubated for 24 h. The compounds studied and formulation induced DNA single and double strand-breaks and caused purines and pyrimidines oxidation. None of compounds examined was capable of creating adducts with DNA, while those substances increased ROS (including •OH) level in PBMCs. Roundup 360 PLUS caused damage to DNA even at 5 μM, while glyphosate and particularly AMPA induced DNA lesions from the concentration of 250 μM and 500 μM, respectively. DNA damage induced by glyphosate and its derivatives increased in order: AMPA, glyphosate, Roundup 360 PLUS. We may conclude that observed changes were not associated with direct interaction of xenobiotics studied with DNA, but the most probably they occurred through ROS-mediated effects.

Degradation of Glyphosate by Mn-Oxide May Bypass Sarcosine and Form Glycine Directly after C-N Bond Cleavage

Glyphosate is the active ingredient of the common herbicide Roundup. The increasing presence of glyphosate and its byproducts has raised concerns about its potential impact on the environment and human health. In this research, we investigated abiotic pathways of glyphosate degradation as catalyzed by birnessite under aerobic and neutral pH conditions to determine whether certain pathways have the potential to generate less harmful intermediate products. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were utilized to identify and quantify reaction products, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to investigate the bond critical point (BCP) properties of the C-N bond in glyphosate and Mn(IV)-complexed glyphosate. We found that sarcosine, the commonly recognized precursor to glycine, was not present at detectable levels in any of our experiments despite the fact that its half-life (∼13.6 h) was greater than our sampling intervals. Abiotic degradation of glyphosate largely followed the glycine pathway rather than the AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) pathway. Preferential cleavage of the phosphonate adjacent C-N bond to form glycine directly was also supported by our BCP analysis, which revealed that this C-N bond was disproportionately affected by the interaction of glyphosate with Mn(IV). Overall, these results provide useful insights into the potential pathways through which glyphosate may degrade via relatively benign intermediates.

DNA damage and methylation induced by glyphosate in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (in vitro study)

Glyphosate is a very important herbicide that is widely used in the agriculture, and thus the exposure of humans to this substance and its metabolites has been noted. The purpose of this study was to assess DNA damage (determination of single and double strand-breaks by the comet assay) as well as to evaluate DNA methylation (global DNA methylation and methylation of p16 (CDKN2A) and p53 (TP53) promoter regions) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exposed to glyphosate. PBMCs were incubated with the compound studied at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 mM for 24 h. The study has shown that glyphosate induced DNA lesions, which were effectively repaired. However, PBMCs were unable to repair completely DNA damage induced by glyphosate. We also observed a decrease in global DNA methylation level at 0.25 mM of glyphosate. Glyphosate at 0.25 mM and 0.5 mM increased p53 promoter methylation, while it did not induce statistically significant changes in methylation of p16 promoter. To sum up, we have shown for the first time that glyphosate (at high concentrations from 0.5 to 10 mM) may induce DNA damage in leucocytes such as PBMCs and cause DNA methylation in human cells.