ASPECTOS GENOTÓXICOS E CITOTÓXICOS DE FUNGICIDA: UMA REVISÃO GLOBAL

Abstract

Fungi are a major cause of crop damage worldwide. Thus, fungicides are used extensively in order to control fungal diseases by inhibiting fungi growth or eliminating them. However, the overuse of this agrochemical may lead to environmental damage as it may affect non-target organisms. Among the negative effects of the fungicides overuse on non-target organisms are genotoxic and cytotoxic effects, which can cause damage at cellular, physiological and / or morphological level. Different types of bioassays have been proposed for monitoring environmental genotoxicity. Bioassays investigate the effects of fungicides on a bioindicator organism. Bioindicators are an important part of biomonitoring and provide a quick and inexpensive means for toxicity assessment and plants are excellent for biomonitoring studies. However, other organisms can also be used as models for study. The bioassays assessment for genotoxicity include chromosomal aberrations (CAs), micronucleus testing and comet assay, while assessment for cytotoxicity ainclude the Allium cepa test and MTT [3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. Genotoxic damage can be defined as changes in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), while cytotoxic considers damage at the cellular level. Toxic effects may include cell death, changes in membrane permeability, or enzymatic inhibition. The present study seeks to investigate the scientific collaboration and the global trend regarding fungicide genotoxicity and cytotoxicity studies.