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Chronic exposure of industrial grade calcium carbide and ethylene glycol exert genotoxic effect in Wistar albino rats

  • Markose Bini , Bhargavan Rajesh and Thekkekara Devassy Babu ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 28, 2021
Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology
From the journal Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology Volume 34 Issue 5

Abstract

Objectives

Calcium carbide (CaC2) and ethylene glycol (EG) are the two commonly used fruit ripening agents. The toxic effects of these chemicals on internal organs were reported in experimental animals. Even though the adverse effects of these compounds have been investigated for many years, there are no sufficient data available with regard to genotoxic effects. The present study evaluates the genotoxic effect of chronic exposures of CaC2 and EG in Wistar albino rats.

Methods

CaC2 and EG were administered to the rats orally for 180 days. Chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei formation were analysed in bone marrow and peripheral blood cells. Comet assay was performed to analyse the DNA strand break. The toxic effects of the chemicals were analysed by MTT assay with normal human intestinal epithelial (IEC-6) cells.

Results

Upon chronic exposure, CaC2 and EG caused chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei formation and  DNA strand breaks extensively in bone marrow and peripheral blood cells. In MTT assay, the chemicals were found to be toxic to IEC-6 cells with IC50 values at 160 and 200 μg/mL for CaC2 and EG, respectively.

Conclusions

The results show that these chemicals have a potential to cause genomic level of toxicity which may lead to carcinogenic event at a chronic level exposure. The study warns to reinforce the administrative measures against the use of CaC2 and EG for fruit ripening process.

Highlights

  1. Industrial grade CaC2 and EG show genotoxicity at the chronic exposure in animals at lower doses.

  2. In vitro cytotoxicity by CaC2 and EG towards IEC-6 cell line exhibited dose dependent decrease of cell proliferation.

  3. Chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei formation, DNA breakage (comet assay) suggest potentially pre-mutagenic lesions by the toxicity.

  4. These chemicals have the potential for genotoxic and carcinogenic effect.

  5. The study warns the health risks of consumption of fruits ripened with calcium carbide and ethylene glycol.

Keywords: chromosomal aberration; DNA damage; fruit ripening agents; genotoxicity; micronuclei; toxicity
Corresponding author: Dr. Thekkekara Devassy Babu, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Amala Cancer Research Centre, Amala Nagar P O, Thrissur 680554, Kerala, India, Phone: 91 9495739939, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to Dr. Ramadasan Kuttan, Research Director, Amala Cancer Research Centre for his support for carrying out this experiment. We are also thankful to Dr. Ramnath KVA, Head of Department of Physiology and Central Technical Lab, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy and Dr. T. A. Ajith, Professor, Department of Biochemistry for their valuable guidance throughout the study. We are indebted to research scholars Pareeth C.M. and Shilpa Prabha; research technicians namely, Mrs. Preetha C.G., Ms. Liji M.J. and MLT Technician Mrs. Sindhu C.D. for their sincere help throughout the course of the study.

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

  4. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  5. Ethical approval: The study was approved by the Institutional Animal Ethical Committee (ACRC/IAEC/17(1)/P-03dt.22/12/2017) according to the rules and regulations of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) constituted by the Animal Welfare Division, Government of India.

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Supplementary Material

The online version of this article offers supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2020-0360).

Received: 2020-11-19
Accepted: 2021-04-26
Published Online: 2021-06-28

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2020-0360
Keywords for this article
chromosomal aberration; DNA damage; fruit ripening agents; genotoxicity; micronuclei; toxicity

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorials
  3. Deiodination and tumor progression: the interplay between thyroid hormones intracellular activation and the androgen signal
  4. The intricate role of glutamine in pathophysiological contexts
  5. Reviews
  6. Zebrafish as a model organism – can a fish mimic human?
  7. Phytocompounds and their molecular targets in immunomodulation: a review
  8. Original Articles
  9. Host–parasite relationship modulates the effect of African mistletoe leaves on the cholinergic, monoaminergic and carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes in fruit fly
  10. Behavioral and biochemical investigations to explore the efficacy of quercetin and folacin in experimental diabetes induced vascular endothelium dysfunction and associated dementia in rats
  11. Chronic exposure of industrial grade calcium carbide and ethylene glycol exert genotoxic effect in Wistar albino rats
  12. A four-year review of uterine rupture at a secondary health facility in Okitipupa, Southwest Nigeria
  13. Increased nitric oxide availability worsens the cardiac performance during early re-perfusion period in adult rats
  14. Safety evaluation of an antimalarial herbal product from Andrographis paniculata (AS201-01) in healthy volunteers
  15. Tobacco use and clinical leukoplakia lesions among south Indian tribes
  16. Carcinogen sodium arsenite disrupts antioxidant and redox homeostasis in Drosophila melanogaster
  17. No association of the common Asian mitochondrial DNA haplogroups with lung cancer in East Indian population
  18. Cardioprotective effect of Justicia gendarussa on doxorubicin induced toxicity in mice
  19. Lung ultrasound-guided PEEP titration in COVID–19 patients treated with CPAP
  20. Short Communication
  21. Effects of the gaseous signalling molecule nitroxyl (HNO) on myenteric neurons governing intestinal motility
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