Acute exposure to a quinalphos containing insecticide (convoy) causes genetic damage and nuclear changes in peripheral erythrocytes of silver barb, Barbonymus gonionotus

The present study was aimed to assess the genotoxic effect in fish caused by convoy, an insecticide commercial formulation containing quinalphos, present in the aquatic waterbody. For this purpose a freshwater teleost, silver barb was exposed to sublethal concentrations (25% and 50% of LC₅₀) of convoy and erythrocytic cellular abnormalities (ECA) and erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENA) tests were performed in addition to the commonly used micronucleus (MN) assay using peripheral erythrocytes and DNA contents in the different tissues after 1, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h of exposures. The obtained results indicated that acute exposure of different sub lethal concentrations of convoy to the fish resulted in significant alterations of erythrocytes as well as significant reduction of DNA contents in blood and vital organs and tissues, such as the brain, liver, kidney and muscle. Compared to each treatment excluding control group, frequencies of ECA, ENA, and MN were found to be elevated with exposure time of the doses. From this study, we conclude that convoy is a hazardous chemical to silver barb. Bioassays can be used as a tool for screening aquatic pollution, especially for insecticides. - Highlights: • Genotoxic effects of the organophosphate convoy, were measured in silver barb fish. • Convoy caused significant alterations of erythrocytes and reduction of DNA contents in vital organs and tissues. • Frequencies of ECA, ENA, and MN were found to be elevated in a dose as well as time dependent manner. - Genotoxicity with special reference to ECA as well as ENA, MN induction in the erythrocytes and DNA contents of fish is an easy tool for the detection of water pollution.