The herbicides trifluralin and tebuthiuron have no genotoxic or mutagenic potential as evidenced by genetic tests

Abstract

Brazil has been the largest world consumer of pesticides since 2008, followed by the USA. The herbicides trifluralin and tebuthiuron have been widely applied in agriculture. These herbicides are selective for some plant species, and their use brings various benefits. However, the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of tebuthiuron on non-target organisms are poorly known, and in addition, the effects of trifluralin must be better investigated. Therefore, this study employed genetic tests including the comet assay and micronucleus test to evaluate the genotoxic effects of trifluralin and tebuthiuron on HepG2 cells. In addition, we have used the Ames test to assess the mutagenic effects of the herbicides on the TA97a, TA98, TA100, and TA1535 strains of Salmonella typhimurium. On the basis of the comet assay and the micronucleus test, trifluralin did not cause genetic damage to HepG2 cells. In addition, trifluralin did not impact the tested S. typhimurium strains. Regarding tebuthiuron, literature has shown that this herbicide damaged DNA in Oreochromis niloticus. Nevertheless, we have found that tebuthiuron was not genotoxic to either HepG2 cells or the S. typhimurium strains. Therefore, neither trifluralin nor tebuthiuron exerted genotoxic or mutagenic potential at the tested conditions.