Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Emiliano Lautaro Gomez Quintero | Email: elgqelgq1114@gmail.com
Emiliano Lautaro Gomez Quintero 1°, Sebastian Luna 2°, Silvana Beatriz Rosso 3°
1° Laboratorio de Toxicología Experimental. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Universidad Nacional de Rosario
The widespread use of pesticides around the world increases the risk of environmental contamination by different formulations which can be potentially noxious for non-target organisms including human beings. Many reports have indicated toxic effects of Glyphosate based herbicides (GBH) on nervous system development and functioning. Evidence suggest that GBH toxicity could be associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s disease. Our previous studies demonstrated that the active ingredient of GBF (Glyph) alters cognitive function in developing rats and decreased neuronal maturation and synapse. In the present work, we analysed how adjuvants present in the formulations may influence the Glyph neurotoxicity. Rats were exposed to GBF (70 or 100 mg Glyph/kg b.w.) from PND 7 to 27 and behavioural tests were carried out to evaluate motor activity and cognitive function. To study the mechanism underlighting the Glyph toxicity we examined the contribution of the Wnt signalling pathways. Particularly, we analysed the effectors of Wnt cascades such as B-catenin and CaMKII. In addition, we studied the GBH effect on neuronal maturation and synapse on 21 DIV neurons. Results indicated that the presence of adjuvants in formulations markedly exacerbated the glyphosate neurotoxicity by affecting behaviour and dendritic maturation in hippocampal neurons. Preliminary results also indicate a downregulation of Wnt/B-catenin pathway after GBH treatments.