The genotoxic effects of acephate and mephospholan insecticides in human lymphocytes culture

In this study, genotoxic effects of organophosphorus insecticides Acephate and Mephospholan were investigated using chromosomal aberrations (CA), sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), micronucleus (MN) and comet assay methods in human peripheral lymphocytes. Effects of Acephate and Mephospholan on mitotic index (MI), replication index (RI) and nucleer division index were also investigated. Different concentrations of Acephate and Mephospholan (for Acephate 12,5; 25; 50; 100 and 200 ?g/ml, for Mephospholan 0,125; 0,25; 0,50; 1,00 and 2,00 µg/ml) were treated to human peripheral lymphocytes in vitro both 24 and 48 h. Acephate and Mephospholan were significantly increased the frequency of chromosome aberrations in all treatment times in a dose dependent manner. The most common chromosomal aberration induced by both insecticides were chromatid and chrosome breaks. Acephate and Mephospholan increased SCE/cell and MN frequencies dose dependently in all treatment times and doses. Both chemicals decreased mitotic index dose dependently, however replication index and nucleer division indices were not effected. In comet assay significant increase in tail lenght and tail intensity was observed in treatment groups when compared with control groups. In this study significant differences in CA, SCE, MN and MI frequencies between treatment and control groups indicated that Acephate and Mephospholan are clastogenic, mutagenic, aneugenic and cytotoxic in cultured human peripheral lymphocytes, and also formation of comet in isolated lymphocytes showed that these chemicals caused primer DNA damage.