Title: Genotoxic action of naphthenic acids on the fish macrophage cell line, RTS11

Authors: Marcus Vinicius Cardoso Trento; Pedro Henrique Souza César; Silvana Marcussi; Lucy E.J. Lee

Addresses: Biochemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Campus UFLA, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Biology Department, University of The Fraser Valley (UFV), Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada ' Biochemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Campus UFLA, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil ' Biochemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Campus UFLA, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil ' Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of The Fraser Valley (UFV), Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Abstract: Naphthenic acids (NAs) are chemical constituents found in oil sands process-affected waters (OSPW) that are distinctly toxic to biota. They comprise an ill-defined mixture of carboxylic acids implicated in endocrine disruption, acute toxicity, immunotoxicity, tissue malformation and embryotoxicity in several fish species, in addition to being cytotoxic. Recent evidence indicates a possible genotoxic effect and the present study evaluated the genotoxic potential of NAs using the 'comet' assay and the rainbow trout spleen cell line, RTS11. The results provided a genotoxic value (in arbitrary units) two times higher for the NA concentration at 10 μg/mL (≈ 105) relative to the NA at 1 μg/mL (≈ 45). NAs at 10 μg/mL gave a damage index of 45.86% compared to the damage observed with a positive control-hydrogen peroxide, which was 90.66% (evaluated at 100 μM). The data obtained suggest a genotoxic potential for NAs at doses that could occur naturally in OSPW.

Keywords: environmental pollution; DNA fragmentation; comet assay; rainbow trout; naphthenic acids; NAs; RTS11 cell line.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2018.093045

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2018 Vol.63 No.1/2, pp.117 - 130

Accepted: 04 Mar 2018
Published online: 04 Jul 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article