Genotoxic impact of mancozeb on freshwater crucian carp (Carassius carassius L.): A comet assay study

Mancozeb, a fungicide belonging to the carbamate pesticide subclass known as dithiocarbamates, is of particular concern due to its spontaneous degradation into ethylenethiourea (ETU) in the presence of water and oxygen. Utilizing the comet test, the current study set out to assess Mancozeb's potential for genotoxicity against C. carassius. A thorough analysis of comet scoring and the DNA damage index in C. carassius blood cells reveals a marked increase in DNA damage in groups that received sublethal doses of mancozeb (6.24 mg/L), highlighting the treatment's significant genotoxic effects in comparison to all groups; the positive control group (cyclophosphamide, 4 mg/L), and the negative control group (Tap water). When comparing the Mancozeb-treated group to the negative groups, there was a notable rise in the quantity of cells displaying DNA damage. However, amount of DNA damage in Mancozeb-treated groups was found marginally significant when compared to the positive control group.