Tissue-Specific Genotoxic Effects of Low-Dose Glyphosate-Based Herbicide (Roundup) Exposure in Juvenile Clarias gariepinus

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world today and has increased in use as weed resistance has developed. Due to its effectiveness and affordability, “Roundup”, a commercialized formulation of glyphosate, is today the second most widely used herbicide in urban areas and in agriculture. The increased use of glyphosate and glyphosatebased herbicides has led to adverse toxic effects on the environment, animals, and humans, even at low concentrations. In this study, the genotoxic effects of very low concentrations of the glyphosate-based herbicide (“Roundup”) on the gills, gonads, and liver of juvenile Clarias gariepinus were assessed. The different concentrations of “Roundup” used in this study were 0.03 mL/L, 0.06 mL/L, 0.10 mL/L, and 0.13 mL/L, respectively. An acute toxicity study carried out revealed mortality in some of the treated groups, especially in the group administered the highest concentration of “Roundup,” where one hundred percent (100 %) mortality was observed after 96 hours. Behavioural changes such as erratic movements, bubble production from the mouth, discoloration, restlessness, and gasping for air were also observed across the various “Roundup” concentrations. Probit analysis revealed that the LC50 of “Roundup” in this study was 0.04 mL/L. Genotoxicity assessment using the comet assay revealed significant (p < 0.01) damage to genetic material (DNA) in the gills, gonads, and liver of juvenile Clarias gariepinus when treatments were compared with the control. The findings from this study indicate that even at very low concentrations, significant genotoxic damage was observed in the gills, gonads, and liver of Clarias gariepinus. The results underscore the importance of stricter regulation and monitoring of glyphosate use, as well as the need to explore safer alternatives to protect aquatic biodiversity and human health.