The impact of frequently used herbicides in argentina, on cell lines

The use of herbicides worldwide is currently the subject of debate both within the scientific community and among the general public, focusing on their potential adverse effects on human health. However, there are few studies on the molecular and cellular changes produced by herbicides.(1-5) In this work, it was proposed to advance in the understanding of the cell signaling pathways affected by exposure to three herbicide formulations: RoundUp (RU, a.i.: glyphosate), Gesaprim (GS, a.i.: atrazine) and Paraquat Insuagro (PI, a.i.: paraquat). In particular, it was studied the effects of exposure to these formulations on the response to misfolded proteins or UPR, and the PI3K/Akt pathway in the HeLa Kyoto cell line. Dysregulation of these pathways has been reported to be associated with various malignancies. For all in vitro herbicide exposure assays, concentrations below the recommended application limit were chosen to evaluate the effect, on different exposure times on the regulation of both pathways.(6-14) For these purposes, western blot and fluorescence microscopy techniques were used. Results revealed activation of all three branches of the UPR (ATF6, PERK and IRE1) in those cells exposed to PI. On the other hand, ATF6 was activated as a result of GS exposure. In the case of RU, dysregulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway was observed, without detecting changes in the UPR. In conclusion, exposure of HeLa Kyoto cells to different herbicides leads to dysregulation of both the UPR and the PI3K/Akt pathway