Alterations in the Expression of Antioxidant Enzyme Genes in Response to Pesticide Exposure During Embryonic Development in the Native Reptile Species Caiman latirostris

The aim of this study was to quantify the expression levels of Catalase (cat) and copper, zinc Superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-sod) genes involved in the antioxidant response in Caiman latirostris (broad-snouted caiman) blood, after embryonic exposure to the formulations cypermethrin (CYP), chlorpyrifos (CPF), glyphosate (GLY), and their binary and ternary mixtures. Experimental groups were: negative control (NC-distilled water), vehicle control (VC-ethanol), GLY-2%, CYP- 0.12%, CPF- 0.8%, a ternary mixture of them (TM), and three binary mixtures. The applications were made on the nest material in contact with the eggs at the beginning of the incubation period. After hatching, RNA was isolated from blood and expression levels analyzed through qPCR. The results showed downregulation in the expression of sod and cat genes in the three binary mixtures studied, compared to the controls. In addition, we found a possible antagonistic effect between different pesticides in the TM on the expression of both genes.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to measure the expression levels of antioxidant response genes Catalase (cat) and copper, zinc Superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-sod) in Caiman latirostris (broad-snouted caiman) blood after exposure to cypermethrin (CYP), chlorpyrifos (CPF), glyphosate (GLY), and their binary and ternary mixtures during embryonic development. The results showed a decrease in the expression of sod and cat genes in the three binary mixtures compared to the controls. There was also a possible antagonistic effect between different pesticides in the ternary mixture on the expression of both genes.