Gülçin YAVUZ TÜREL, Dilek AŞCI ÇELİK
Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi - 2026;33(3):297-303
Objective: Azoxystrobin (AZO), one of the most widely used fungicides in agriculture, may exert genotoxic effects that could pose potential risks to human health. This study aimed to evaluate the genotoxic effects of exposure to azoxystrobin at different durations and concentrations in human lymphocyte cells using the Comet assay. Material and Method: Lymphocyte cells from eight individuals were isolated by centrifugation. AZO was applied at three different concentrations (10 muM, 50 muM, and 100 muM) for three durations (one, two, or four hours) to each sample. The samples were analyzed using the Comet assay technique and imaged with a fluorescence microscope on slides. Fifty cells per slide were analyzed using OpenComet software. One-way ANOVA was performed on the results. Results: The group treated with 50 µM AZO for one hour exhibited a statistically significant increase in DNA damage compared to groups treated with 50 µM AZO for two and four hours (p < 0.05). While there was no statistical significance at the 10 and 100 µM application doses, an increase in DNA damage was observed compared to the negative control group. At the 100 µM dose, a decrease in damage was observed in terms of the average tail DNA percentage at each hour of application. Conclusion: AZO was shown to potentially increase DNA damage depending on the dose and time, but further studies are needed.
