Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Emiliano Lautaro Gomez Quintero | Email: elgqelgq1114@gmail.com
Emiliano Lautaro Gomez Quintero2°, Maximiliano Gabriel Melano2°,Gonzalo Emiliano Quasollo Infanzon2°, Mariano Bisbal2°, Silvana Beatriz Rosso1°
1° Laboratorio de Toxicología Experimental. FAcultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Universidad Nacional de Rosario
2° Laboratorio de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular (IMMF-CONICET-UNC) Córdoba, Argentina.
Glyphosate (Glyph) is the most widely used herbicide worldwide. Several Glyph-based herbicides (GBH) have been developed in different countries to weed control. However, the presence of adjuvants, with surfactant activity, may enhance its potential toxicity. Recently, studies from our group have shown that the exposure to low doses of pure Glyph induces behavioral alterations in developmental rats and signs of neurotoxicity in cell cultures. In the present work, we are showing that rats exposed to Glyphosate formulations (70, 100, and 200 mg/kg/48 h) evidenced motor and cognitive dysfunction compared to controls. Furthermore, we have performed assays in cultured hippocampal neurons exposed to GBH. Images from microscopic analysis showed alterations in the density, morphology, and maturation of dendritic spines in neurons exposed to GBH concentrations around 150 fold below the pure Glyph dose used previously. Taken into account that Wnt pathways play a crucial role for neuronal growth and maturation, we then investigated whether GBH affected Wnt signalling during development. Preliminary results evidenced alterations in the Rac 1 and JNK (PCP pathway) and CaMKII (Ca pathway) mediated non-canonical pathways. Together, these observations suggest greater toxicity of GBH compared to pure Glyph, possibly associated with the presence of adjuvants, as well as a possible correlation between cognitive alterations and changes in the activity of the non-canonical Wnt pathways.