Comprehensive evaluation of the genotoxic effects induced by organophosphorus insecticides widely employed in agricultural practices

The risk of increasing pesticide contamination is a global hazard to ecosystems and human health. A significant proportion can reach soil and/or surface waters through leaching or wind, affecting agroecosystems and non-target plants, which can store and transfer them to higher trophic levels. The broad bean Vicia faba is an ideal model for assessing insecticide genotoxicity. This study aimed to evaluate the genotoxic effect of five organophosphate agricultural insecticides: methamidophos, parathion methyl, phoxim, azinphos methyl, and oxydemeton methyl, on the root of V. faba using the comet assay and the micronucleus tests. The results indicated that all insecticides except methamidophos caused DNA damage and micronuclei in a concentration-dependent manner. The genotoxicity induced by the agrochemicals, from lowest to highest, was: methamidophos < parathion methyl < phoxim < azinphos methyl < oxydemeton methyl. The observations suggest that the % tail intensity (% tail DNA) and tail moment are optimal parameters for assessing DNA damage. Furthermore, the mitotic index decreased with increasing insecticide concentrations. These findings underline the potential risks associated with this type of agent highlighting the need for further research and regulatory measures and support the relevance of using V. faba as a reliable system for environmental risk assessment.