ASSESSMENT OF ROTENONE AND BENOMYL TOXICITY IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS: IMPLICANCES IN PARKINSONISM

FERNANDEZ HUBEID, LUCIA; CANDELARIA GONZALES MORENO; ALBRECHT, PAULA A.; DEZA PONZIO ROMINA; VIRGOLINI MB,

Congreso; IX Neurotoxicity Society Meeting: Mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and neuro-protection; 2022

ASSESSMENT OF ROTENONE AND BENOMYL TOXICITY IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS: IMPLICANCES IN PARKINSONISM Lucía Fernandez-Hubeid, Candelaria Gonzales-Moreno, Paula A. Albrecht, Romina Deza-Ponzio, Miriam B. VirgoliniIFEC-CONICET. Depto. de Farmacología. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Haya de la Torre esq. Medina Allende, Córdoba, 5016, Argentina.luciahubeid@unc.edu.arC. elegans is a model organism widely used in toxicological evaluations. Toxicity endpoints such as lethality, growth, and reproduction can be performed in wild-type and genetically-modified animals. In this study, we present preliminary toxicological studies of exposition to two pesticides: rotenone and benomyl, both associated to dopaminergic neurodegeneration linked to parkinsonism. Young adult worms (L4 stage) were exposed to 0, 2, or 10 uM rotenone or benomyl in identical doses for 1 h or 24 h to evaluate the above-mentioned parameters of toxicity. Lethality was measured by a light touch to the worm with the loop. Alive worms were photographed to analyze the size and to estimate the progeny of each group by egg count. No lethality was observed in any condition. However, a decrease in the size and in the progeny was observed only in animals exposed to 10 uM rotenone for 24 h. These results reveal the usefulness of these indicators as first line studies in the toxicity evaluation of toxic compounds, in this case pesticides associated to the etiology of Parkinson’s disease.