CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS INDUCED BY GLYPHOSATE ISOPROPYLAMINE HERBICIDE AND TRIALS FOR DIMINUTING ITS TOXICITY USING SOME CHEMICAL INACTIVATORS AND ANTIOXIDANT

Fifty apparently healthy Newzealand white male rabbits (with average weight of 1329 gm) were used in the chronic and acute toxicological studies of Roundup (Glyphosate Isopropylamine) herbi­cide. Fifteen rabbits were divided into three equal groups, which were used in the chronic cytogenet­ical (genotoxicological) study, where the group one as a control, the group two administered 750 ppm glyphosate Isopropylamine herbicide in drinking water for 60 days, and the group three administered the herbicide (with the same above dose) along with 312 ppm vitamin-E for 60 days. Results demonstrated the presence of significant structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations in the bone marrow cells of Roundup treated rab­bits, and these cytogenetic effects could be par­tially reduced by vitamin-E treatment. In the second acute toxicity study, thirty five rabbits were divided into seven equal groups, the group one as a negative (normal) control, the re­maining six groups of rabbits were orally admin­istered with one gm glyphosate salt/kg.b.w., once a day, for 6 days, but these groups were adminis­tered the different proposed glyphosate-salt inacti­vators as follow : the group two administered the herbicide only (positive control), the group three administered calcium phosphate (350mg/kg.b.w., orally), the group four administered vitamin-E (100 mg/kg.b.w., orally), the group five adminis­tered charcoal (350mg/kg.b.w., orally), the group six given calcionate (32mg/kg.b.w.1/M.inj.) and the group seven administered the mixture of the above four treatments (with the same above dos­es). Liver histochemical, serum biochemical, hae­matological and liver histopathological studies were carried out. Results indicated that the char­coal is the most active inactivator (from the tested treatments) against Roundup toxicity, that it nor­malizing (or improving) the levels of the majority of measured parameters, followed by calcium phosphate then vitamin-E inactivators. Opposite­ly, the calcionate treatment promote the toxicity of Roundup (based on the measured parameters) followed by the mixture of four treatments (per­haps due to that the calcium therapy may pro­motes the toxicity of glyphosate salt). So that cal­cium therapy should be contraindicated in case of Roundup toxicity.