Genotoxic effects of the herbicide Roundup® in the fish Corydoras paleatus (Jenyns 1842) after short-term, environmentally low concentration exposure

The glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup^®, is one of the most used pesticides worldwide. In concert with the advent of transgenic crops resistant to glyphosate, the use of this pesticide has led to an increase in agricultural yields. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic effect that the herbicide Roundup^® (at a concentration of 6.67 μg/L, corresponding to 3.20 μg/L glyphosate) can have on the fish Corydoras paleatus. Treatment groups were exposed for 3, 6, and 9 days, and effects were analyzed using the piscine micronucleus test (PMT) and comet assay. A group subjected to filtered water only was used as a negative control. The PMT did not show differences between the control and exposed groups for any of the treatment times. In contrast, the comet assay showed a high rate of DNA damage in group exposed to Roundup^® for all treatment times, both for blood and hepatic cells. We conclude that for the low concentration used in this research, the herbicide shows potential genotoxic effects. Future research will be important in evaluating the effects of this substance, whose presence in the environment is ever-increasing.