1Departmant of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar.
2Departmant of Veterinary Biochemistry, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar.
3Institute of Biotechnology, GBPUA&T, Patwadangar-263128Nainital.
In recent years, pesticides have become integral part of the ecosystem. and adversely affecting animal and human health. Several studies have reported immunosuppressive effects of carbamate group of pesticides in animals. But few such reports are available employing in vitro system of avian splenocytes. Thiram is dithiocarbamate fungicide with good avian and mammalian repellent properties. Present communication evaluates immunosuppression, oxidative stress and apoptosis in chicken lymphocytes due to in vitro exposure of low level dose of thiram employing lymphocytes proliferation assay, cytokine assay, nitric oxide estimation, annexin V assay and genomic DNA analysis. Chicken lymphocytes displayed significant down regulation in B and T cell blastogenesis as well as in interleukin I and II levels as compared to control cells and thus found to be immunotoxic even at thousand times diluted No Observable Effect Level (NOEL/103) dose. Increased oxidative stress was observed in thiram treated cells as displayed by elevated level of Nitric Oxide. Annexin V assay revealed increased number of thiram treated lymphocytes under going apoptosis. It was further confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA of thiram exposed cells which showed typical apoptotic DNA ladder pattern. It is proposed that such in vitro tests in immunotoxicology can be useful in the quick preliminary evaluation and toxicity assessment of pesticides, thus helpful in reducing the use of laboratory animals.
