Avaliação da qualidade da água do Rio Uberabinha, em áreas urbanas do município de Uberlândia (Minas Gerais, Brasil), por meio de testes de citotoxicidade e genotoxicidade

Abstract

Water is a fundamental resource for the maintenance of life. In order to carry out its preservation, it is necessary that its quality is properly evaluated using, besides physical and chemical parameters analyses, ecotoxicological tests with living organisms. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the quality of Uberabinha River´s water, in four distinct sites in the city of Uberlândia (MG), with in vivo and in vitro tests of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity, using three different bioindicators: Poecilia reticulata, Allium cepa and culture of C2C12 cells. Water samples were collected from four different sites (P1, P2, P3 and P4), which were submitted to physical-chemical analysis. To evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity the followings biomarkers were used: mitotic index, micronucleus, nuclear abnormalities and chromosomal abnormalities. With the data obtained, it was possible to conclude that P1 had no toxic effects. Analyzes of P2 indicated the presence of a large amount of organic matter and cadmium, which resulted in intermediate rates of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. In addition to cadmium, the P3 analyzes detected lead, a probable cause for the high genotoxic effect of this point. The P4 site presented genotoxic and cytotoxic actions with relative significance. These changes in the physico-chemical parameters, and the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects observed at different sites, may be a consequence of the disposal of domestic and industrial effluents, all of which may interfere with the local ecological community.