Open AccessThe Impact of Glyphosate, Its Metabolites and Impurities on Viability, ATP Level and Morphological changes in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Author(s) -
Marta Kwiatkowska,
Paweł Jarosiewicz,
Jaromir Michałowicz,
Maria Koter−Michalak,
Bogumiła Huras,
Bożena Bukowska
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0156946
Subject(s) - peripheral blood mononuclear cell , viability assay , aminomethylphosphonic acid , biochemistry , chemistry , amine gas treating , toxicity , pharmacology , metabolite , biology , cell , in vitro , organic chemistry
The toxicity of herbicides to animals and human is an issue of worldwide concern. The present study has been undertaken to assess toxic effect of widely used pesticide—glyphosate, its metabolites: aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and methylphosphonic acid and its impurities: N -(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA), N -methylglyphosate, hydroxymethylphosphonic acid and bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We have evaluated the effect of those compounds on viability, ATP level, size (FSC-A parameter) and granulation (SSC-A parameter) of the cells studied. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were exposed to different concentrations of glyphosate, its metabolites and impurities (0.01–10 mM) for 4 and 24 h. It was found that investigated compounds caused statistically significant decrease in viability and ATP level of PBMCs. The strongest changes in cell viability and ATP level were observed after 24 h incubation of PBMCs with bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine, and particularly PMIDA. Moreover, all studied compounds changed cell granularity, while PMIDA and bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine altered PBMCs size. It may be concluded that bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine, and PMIDA caused a slightly stronger damage to PBMCs than did glyphosate. Changes in the parameters studied in PBMCs were observed only at high concentrations of the compounds examined, which clearly shows that they may occur in this cell type only as a result of acute poisoning of human organism with these substances.