title: Toxicological evaluation of three contaminants of emerging concern by use of the Allium cepa test.
abstract: Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, triclosan and propylparaben are contaminants of emerging concern that have been subjected to extensive toxicological studies, but for which limited information is currently available concerning adverse effects on terrestrial plant systems. The Allium cepa test, which is considered one of the most efficient approaches to assess toxic effects of environmental chemicals, was selected to evaluate the potential risks of these ubiquitous pollutants. Our data demonstrate that all three compounds studied may in some way be considered toxic, but different effects were noted depending on the chemical and the end point analysed. Results derived from the analysis of macroscopic parameters used in testing for general toxicity, revealed that while di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate had no apparent effects, the other two chemicals inhibited A. cepa root growth in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, although all three compounds caused alterations in the mitotic index of root-tip cells, propylparaben was the only one that did not show evidence of genotoxicity in assays for chromosome aberrations and micronuclei. The results of the present study clearly indicate that sensitive plant bioassays are useful and complementary tools to determine environmental impact of contaminants of emerging concern.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Darwin, 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Herrero
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pérez Martín
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández Freire
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carvajal López
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peropadre
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hazen
mesh_terms: D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D019697:Onions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D010226:Parabens / Q000633:toxicity*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects; D014260:Triclosan / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D009153:Mutagens; D010226:Parabens; D014260:Triclosan; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate; C006068:propylparaben